Reincarnation is Cookies
by TheKaiSenpai
Summary: A secret ancient past. A power long thought lost. The very world at war against humans. When the past meets the present, Team RWBY is there to save the day! Their differences, however, may drive them apart. In order to lead, you must be willing to serve; and Weiss' personal servant must be the glue that holds everything together.
1. Prologue

TheKaiSenpai doesn't own shit.

 _ **ReincarnationIsCookies**_

 **Prologue**

 _ **ReincarnationIsCookies**_

 _Date: Several Years After "The War" (YATW)_

 _Location: Unknown_

"Legends. Stories, scattered through time. Mankind has quite the fascination of retelling stories of the past, be it of their heroes, villains, and adventures beyond belief. But what they forget is that each of us are remnants. Pieces to a past long forgotten to the throes of time.

"Man was born of ashes, brought into a world created from the entrails of the very planet. Fractured and broken, they found themselves in a cruel and unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness- the creatures of Grimm- set their sights upon man and all of his creations. The two forces clashed, and it seemed that the darkness was intent on sending man back into the ashes from whence they came.

"However, even the smallest flicker of hope can bring change. And in time, man's resourcefulness, passion, and creativity would bring them to the tools they would use to survive. These tools were creatively named "Dust".

"The power of the elements in hand, man lit a way through the darkness, bringing change, civilization, and more importantly, life. But even the most brilliant of flames sputter and die. And when it is gone, darkness will once again descend.

"So you may prepare your warriors, build your monuments to a so-called "free world". But take heed… There will be no victory in strength."

"But perhaps victory is in the simpler things you've long forgotten; things that require a single, sincere soul."

 _ **ReincarnationIsCookies**_

 _Time: 70 YATW_

Several figures made their way across the craggy wasteland. All were dressed in colorful, though seemingly impractical clothing for such a hot, dry area. However, upon closer inspection, one could see several weapons upon their bodies, some larger than others, and all extremely dangerous. Leading the pack was a man with fading black hair, and a stern, chiseled face. He dressed himself nicely in a white business suit, complete with the same colored pants, a black sweatshirt underneath, and all topped off with a neat red tie just barely peaking from his collar. The man gazed over the rocky area, his team trailing behind him as he stood atop one of the peaks over the barren landscape. James Ironwood was his name, the budding, new Headmaster of Atlas' very own Hunter academy, Atlas Academy. He was forty-two, and still the princely handsome man he was during his own years in the academy.

Standing right behind him was a seemingly young man with angled, yet wizened features. His hair was a dusty grey, and small spectacles rested upon his nose. The man wore a black business suit with brass buttons, not unlike his friend. Underneath he wore a bright, forest green turtleneck shirt. In his hands was a simple black cane, with a silver handle with ornate designs on it, a small ball at the end, and a small circular cylinder on the end connecting it to the actual cane. A long, thin trigger aligned itself parallel to the actual cane. This was Ozpin, the long time professor to Beacon Academy in Vale. His age was a mystery, nobody quite able to pinpoint his date of birth. For all his youthfulness, he came with wisdom beyond his years.

The two men stood side-by-side atop the mountain. In the distance they could see three of Mistral's active volcanos. This was the first of two areas of the world where volcano activity was high enough to devastate the life around them. Yet at the base of the mountain was a writhing sea of black. The creatures of Grimm. Some of them so old that they had lost their naturally animalistic instincts, replaced with nearly humanlike intelligence. Yet all of them had been drawn here, at the base of a seemingly insignificant plateau. It was terrifying to the two men. Whatever was down there was either powerful enough to draw in these creatures, or filled with so much negativity that it was like a drug. Whatever it was had to have been there for a while, given the age of some of the creatures of Grimm and their surroundings. Something with that much negativity… Ironwood was unsure which would be worse, taking out these relatively harmless Grimm to dispose of them forever, or unleashing whatever was attracting them.

"We can still turn back, James," the second man, Ozpin, spoke. His voice was laced with experience and tenderness, but an underlying strength that made lesser men obey. "These creatures are not harming anyone here. In fact, it feels like this area is a net for any passing creatures of Grimm, drawing them in so heavily that they cannot escape." There was a pause. Below them, they could hear the rest of the Hunter party talking amongst themselves in semi-concerned voices. "There's no shame in-"

"This is something that must be done," James replied, his shoulders stiffened as he spoke, gazing down at the writhing black sea in front of them. "If we don't dispose of these creatures now, then we have no assurance that whatever's down there will hold them for long." Another pause reigned as Ozpin let out a sigh, his eyes relaxing shut. "You know that I'm right, Oz."

"Yes, I suppose you are," the gray-haired man replied slowly. "But we should rest for the night. These brave souls have followed us on a long hike to destroy the Grimm, so we should at least give them as great an advantage as we can." James' face contorted with inner conflict, issuing Ozpin to rest his hand on the man's shoulder. "The Grimm can wait another day. Let them have rest."

"Alright," James replied abruptly, pushing past his old friend to address the several men and women that had followed them. "As you can all see, the creatures of Grimm are here, en masse. We'll spend the night in the alcoves scattered around here, and will wake up at 0630. Tomorrow morning will be the day these Grimm fall to our hands, never to terrorize our families again!" A muffled cheer came from the Hunters, knowing that if they were too loud, the Grimm would notice them. Two souls in the back smiled at one another. The first was a man with bronze skin, and hair like the rays from the sun. He looked down at his partner with mischievous blue eyes. He stood tall, dressed in a stylish western garb, complete with cargo pants, a fancy yellow shirt, and a faded brown vest. Strapped to his back was a large dual sided cannon, either end with a pentagonal barrel, both giving way to a smaller, dark brown body, covered in golden-yellow armor crossing over it in an "X" shape. At the center, protruding from the body's armor, was a dark brown emblem of twin dragons, both rearing back to create a heart shape, though as a single image looked like the silhouette of the top of a dragon's head. The cannon itself was almost two heads taller than the man. This was Taiyang Xiao-Long, one of the strongest men in the world, and the only man capable of wielding Qūzhújiàn, or Destroyer, as everyone else called it.

Beside him stood a young woman, peering just out from under the hood of a white cloak that enveloped her entire body. Underneath, one would find a comfy, dark grey, button up shirt made of cotton. They would also find a battle skirt of the same color, reaching down just past the midway point of her legs. Her skin was tone was almost the opposite of Taiyang's, instead being pale and unblemished, seeming almost timeless. She had a cute face, complete with a look of happy innocence. Her eyes, however, were her most striking feature, being a bright golden that seemed to sparkle. Her hair also was quite an odd color, being a natural dark brown, yet with light wisps of red highlighting her bangs and the tips of her hair, of which reached down her face, down to just at her shoulders. Hanging from a loop at her hip was a long, curved blade. Its handle had ornate diamond shapes around it, alternating between dark grey and deep red. The guard was of intricate design, being that of a Beowolf's skull facing up and out of the handle. Out of the mouth was the blade itself, the front edge and body of the blade a holy white, and the back edge and fuller being an ashen gray. The pas d'an of the blade surrounding the grip was more abstract, also being a bright white with a trapezoidal guard rather than a smooth curve, the feared blade passed down in her family. This was Summer Rose, the leader of Team STRQ (Stark), and holder of the moniker, The Slayer. A title held only by the most elite Hunters against the Grimm.

"Gyaaaaah…" Summer yawned, stretching in an overly comedic way. "Man, what a hike! I thought I was gonna pass out four miles ago! Man, I'm pooped!" Taiyang simply chuckled, shaking his head as he rested Destroyer against a nearby boulder, a loud _Boom!_ sounding out when it touched the ground, despite the gentleness of which he set it. Underneath was a deep imprint of the weapon as it compacted under the cannon. Despite the noise, the creatures of Grimm ignored them.

"Yeah, I was feeling pretty worn down, too," Taiyang replied, rolling his shoulders to let his joints loosen up. "Just think, this will be our last mission until retirement! Heh, retired at age thirty… What a nice thought."

"Ooooh, I can't wait!" Summer gushed, quickly dumping her sleeping bag onto the hard, but smooth, stone floor of their alcove. "I can finally spend more time with Ruby and Yang! You know, it's been so long since I made everyone cookies! Well when we get back, I'll make some super-ultra-awesome-delicious cookies for the girls!" Taiyang rolled his eyes and immediately brought his hands to his heart, faking a stagger back.

"Oh! And no cookies for your beloved husband?" Summer smiled slyly at his jest, leaning in close to his face and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"Special cookies for the man of the house," she whispered. "Extra. Sugar." If anyone had been looking, they would see stars in the blonde man's eyes. Eyes that seemed to be drawn to the rear of Summer's body as she sauntered off. "I'm gonna go see how Yu Yu is! I'll be right back!"

"Y-Yeah… heh heh…" Taiyang replied, his mind in a haze at the thought of the treat he would be receiving later. He then felt a single hand clap onto his shoulder, breaking him out of his lustful stupor.

"Poor Tai," a firm voice chuckled out. "Looks like you've got your hands full." The voice belonged to a man with dusty hair, wearing a sharp grey suit with a red cape. He had piercing eyes and a clean shaven face that gave him a handsome look. "Honestly, I don't see why she sticks with an idiot like you." Instead of being offended, Taiyang only rubbed the back of his neck and gave his friend a sheepish grin.

"I guess I just got lucky, huh, Qrow?" the blonde jested. "I was lucky she was here for me. I can't imagine what would have happened if you guys weren't there to support me when Raven left." Qrow simply scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"You would've moped around in your own depression and ignored Yang entirely," he teased the man. "And let's not bring my sister into this. We're going to be stressed as it is tomorrow facing these Grimm. If you get worked up over her again, then little Summer's going to have to drag your corpse back home." While the words were harsh, Qrow had a teasing smirk on his face. "I'd hate to have to tell Yang and Ruby why their dad died like an idiot."

"If anything, it'll be me dragging your body back home," Taiyang punched Qrow's shoulder playfully. The caped man stumbled and grinned, but rubbed his shoulder. "How about a drink when we get back? Just you and me."

"Nah, I'll be fine without it," the two men watched as Summer danced around the different alcoves, making friends with everyone. "So it doesn't freak you out that you're both long distant cousins?"

"You mean like how you and Yuki are cousins?" Taiyang shot back. Qrow's eyes drifted momentarily to the white haired woman casually cleaning out her weapon. He scowled.

"As if I'd admit that little prissy princess was my cousin," he grumbled, making the blonde man laugh. "Besides, our families split thousands of years ago. We're hardly even related." The two men relaxed, leaning back against the stone walls of the alcove. They remained silent for a long time. "Old Oz asked to meet with me after the mission."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Something really important, he says," Qrow shifted a moment, obviously uncomfortable. "Says it's a pretty big secret, but I just wanted to let you know in case anything went wrong." Taiyang nodded, resting a hand on Qrow's shoulder.

"You can trust me with anything," he told his friend.

"Thanks."

With those words, Qrow walked off from the blonde man. His eyes set firmly on Yuki Schnee, his long distant cousin. The young woman had pale skin and snowy white hair, like the rest of her family. She had her hair tied back into a bun, and was still polishing the "wand" in her hand. It was actually a glorified stick with several different types of Dust cartridges inside the handle, but no one besides Qrow ever had the guts to just tell her that. While an easy smile graced her cheeks throughout, it promptly turned into a scowl as Qrow came close. Her arms became a bit more tense and her entire body seemed to radiate an aura of death. Her current conversation partner, a twitchy young man from Haven that Qrow recognized as someone named Jacques, instinctively took a step back as soon as Yuki's mood soured. "What do you want?" she almost hissed at him, giving him a glare that seemed to have passed down in both of their families. It was the kind of glare that let you know that the person considered you worthless scum.

"What, I can't say hello to my favorite cousin?" Qrow decided to keep his tone light, if only to keep the young Jacques stuck in place from fear from wetting himself. "This might be the last time we ever get to talk, you know."

"Please, we're hardly related," Yuki scoffed and turned her head from him, her eyes focusing even more on her weapon. "Me acknowledging you as my relative is just as likely as me ever falling for a weakling such as Jacques." Qrow inwardly winced at the non-so-subtle attack on the young man before them. "I would rather rip out my own womb then do either." That was… incredibly harsh. Jacques seemed to get the hint, though, and walked away dejectedly. Qrow shot a glare to the snow haired woman.

"You could have put him down gently," he told his cousin. Yuki glanced up at him with a cold expression, though a small amount of warmth seemed to be hidden behind her gaze.

"It's much simpler to… 'rip off the bandage', as you would say," she replied, the previous hints of aggression gone. "Better that he recognizes my rejection now then for me to have to deal with a childish dunce like him for years, allowing him to whittle down my defenses before I finally give in. Koald would not be happy with the advances."

"You make it sound like a siege," Qrow pointed out, "and since when did you ever care for what he thought?" Slight amusement twinkled behind her clear, crystal eyes.

"Perhaps that is the best description of the matter. After all, I have a husband waiting for me at home and... my heart yearns for another," the second half of her words were in a whisper. Qrow merely sighed and crossed is arms, looking around briefly to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"It was a one-time thing," he finally told her in a low tone. "Besides, there's a reason why our families were separated."

"Which you haven't told me," Yuki shot back. "I can't get over that night, Qrow. I've had boyfriends when I was a child, but that… that was the first time I ever felt loved like a woman…"

"It was a mistake," Qrow shot back, making the white-haired woman wince. Qrow's expression softened. "It's not like I don't want to," he mumbled. "By the gods, I really want to. But with us, it's a lot more complicated than emotions. If we were to have another kid…" He trailed off for a moment to think on his words. "It would be catastrophic. And not in the 'we had kids before marriage' or the 'having a kid is hell' kind of way. It would be the catalyst for some really bad things." Yuki frowned as Qrow's eyes wandered over to Ozpin, whom he had noticed had been keeping an eye on the two of them since they had started talking. "Just trust me, alright Snow Angel?" Yuki smiled bitterly, but nodded.

"Alright," her voice was soft and unsure. "But… someday… I want you to do the same thing we did all that time ago. Promise me?" Qrow rolled his eyes but smiled.

"I promise."

 **XXXXX**

"This location," Ironwood stood with a map of the volcanic area in his hands, addressing the young man standing to the side with bright green hair and a pair of rounded spectacles on the bridge of his nose. "What do we know about this place, Bartholomew?" The man pressed his glasses further up upon his face and stood to attention. "What could be bringing all of these Grimm here in the first place?"

"I'm glad you asked," Bartholomew spoke with a smile on his face. "Why, it's widely believed that this area was an ancient battleground in the long distant past," the man spoke rapidly, begetting his excitement for the topic. While fast, it was still easy to follow. "Supposedly it was the battleground between three gods of indescribable abilities! The resulting battle was what sterilized and created the volcanic region in the first place."

"That's preposterous," Ironwood glared at the young doctorate-seeking Huntsman. "Gods? A single battle creating a volcano? Surely that's just-"

"I _did_ say that it was only believed to be so," Bartholomew pointed out, stopping the headmaster before he discredited the idea entirely. "However, there's no evidence to suggest otherwise; so we must take what information has been given to us. Now, may I continue?"

"Please, do go on," Ozpin spoke up, his expression unreadable. "Whatever information we have is much and well appreciated." The young man nodded, before taking the map from the Atlas General. He pointed to the plateau for the headmasters.

"This is rumored to be the grounds for a shrine dedicated to one of the gods," Bartholomew explained. "It was here where he stood his ground against the other two; his former comrades and students." Both James and Ozpin listened intently as the history major prattled on. "In the ensuing fight, there could have been a lot of negativity to be released. It may just be the cause. Or, perhaps it is the memory of such a place that breeds the negativity. Whatever the case, we must proceed with caution. These legends have been passed down for a reason and every myth has a semblance of truth hidden within."

"Wiser words have naught been spoken," Ozpin chimed in, glancing between the two men. "It is quite obvious to me that we'll be taking a large risk, regardless. What we should do, now, is come together and decide how we will proceed. To run in without a plan would be suicide. Brute force cannot solve this problem. Not with our numbers." The men peered over the side of the mountain they were on into the crater below them. The sea of Grimm wrapped around the plateau. Oddly, nothing flew nor rested upon the top. In fact, it looked like they were actively avoiding it. Ozpin turned to James.

"I see it," the Atlas General spoke. "It's a risk, but if we can reach the top of that flat area..." He kept his eyes locked onto the rock face. "It's small, but I see what looks like a stairwell. Oz?"

"As do I," spoke the grey haired man. "It looks small enough that only Beowolf could potentially fit with ease. At least, among those would be the only ones small enough that could climb to that height.

"If we were to make it inside," Bartholomew spoke up once more. "We could discover more about what is causing such negativity and perhaps..."

"We could weaponize it. Use it as a beacon for Grimm so they won't attack our cities. Make them easier to wipe them out in a mass scale," James suggested. "With this knowledge, the kingdoms can finally be safe from Grimm completely."

"We would have to be careful on whom would have such technology, however," Ozpin pointed out. "If anyone wanting to cause chaos wished, they could set one off in the middle of a city and create untold amounts of destruction. That is, if it's possible to create such a device in the first place."

A short silence followed the words of the headmaster. Both of his colleagues knew the threats that came with any new technology. That type of power in anyone's hands could be immensely dangerous. It was a situation that made each of the grown men shiver. In the silence, Ozpin watched as the sun finally fell behind the horizon. The coolness of the mountainous breeze contrasted the location they were in. While the actual volcano was a mountain away, it was still a chilling thought to think of it having the possibility of erupting while they were there. Lava may not reach them at their altitude, but volcanic rock and ash could still be deadly.

"We should rest for the night," Ozpin spoke up, interrupting the morbid thoughts passing through each of their minds. "Let everyone know that in the morning, our plan will be to make it to that plateau. It's a defendable position and our best chance at discovering what lies inside." His two colleagues nodded in response, each lost in their own thoughts as they walked away to do as he asked.

Ozpin once more gazed at the sea of Grimm, as well as their future destination. He could feel the tug and hum of the ancient power within. His hand gripped tighter around his cane, making the metal and wood creak in his grasp. Gods, indeed, it seemed. A discovery like this could tip the balance of the war in his favor.

 **XXXXX**

"What a shrimp!"

"Who would ever want to be friends with a little weak kid like you?"

"I bet your sister secretly wishes you weren't around to hold her back!"

"Your eyes are weird!"

"What do you know!?" The little girl shouted, her voice trembling with anger and grief. "You don't even know me! Just leave me alone!" Still, her bullies did nothing of the sort.

"You can't even punch as good as Burbon, you're just a weakling!"

"You'll never make it as a Huntress, you should just give up!"

"Hey, what are you doing picking on my little sister?" A separate voice growled from down the hall. Ruby heard frantic yells as her tormentors ran off, leaving her curled up on the floor covered in swaths of paint and dirt. She shook with anger and fear, letting out silent tears as she dealt with her conflicting emotions.

"I'm not weak," she sobbed, trying to convince herself. "I'm not weak at all. I can be a Huntress. I can be whatever I want. I can be a hero." The girl flinched as she felt a hand grasp her shoulder, but slowly looked up to the violet eyes she knew would be looking right back at her. It was always like this. She'd be picked on for being so small, and her big sister would run all the bullies away.

"Are you ok, little sis?" Yang asked, keeping her voice low. Her baby sister didn't respond, so the seven year old wrapped her arms around the darker haired girl. "Awww, you'll be fine. Soon enough you'll be strong enough to prove them wrong."

"But I'm not," Rudy sniffled, wiping away some of the tears in her eyes. Her cheeks were a flushed red from her anger. "I'll never be as strong as you or mommy or daddy. I'm just weak."

"Don't you say that," Yang insisted, wiping away the tears that had replaced the ones her sister had just gotten rid of. "Don't you ever say you're weak. You're so strong, little Rubaby. You're gonna be the strongest Huntress to ever live, I promise. You know me, I never break my promises, do I?"

"Well..." Ruby trailed off, not looking her sister in the eyes. Yang puffed her cheeks in a pout.

"I told you that I'll make you cookies another time," the blonde disputed her younger sister. "It's not my fault I accidentally burned down the kitchen! It's the oven's!" Ruby giggled, forgetting her previous sorrow. Yang knew that her job was done, but added another for extra measure. "I mean, at least I was on fire with those brownies."

"Aaaargh you're worse than dad," Ruby laughed, hugging her older sister. The blonde smiled, accepting the hug with easy joy.

"Yeah, maybe I am."

 **XXXXX**

"Again!"

"Can we please take a break, Winter? I'm beginning to tire," the young girl panted, her eyes shut tight as she attempted to catch her breath. "Ten minutes, please. That's all I need."

"If you wish to be able to defend yourself, then you must build your endurance," the elder sister spoke to Weiss. "However, I can see that pushing you further at this moment would only hinder your training. I will give you fifteen minutes to recuperate."

"Thank you," the younger girl stammered, resting her hands on her knees. After sixty seconds, her breathing slowed to a relaxed pace. "Winter?"

"Yes, sister?" The elder sister had found herself standing to the side of the courtyard, looking over the spring landscape behind the estate. While the mountains were still covered in snow, the bellblossoms were starting to bloom with the longer days. Said snow was also beginning to melt. While the landscape of their Atlas home would never quite be completely free of the cold and snow, it was a beautiful sight that she often took for granted. "What do you wish to say?"

"When do you think mother will return?" Weiss asked, brushing the dust and powdered ice from her dress. There was a brief lull. "Father has been becoming restless again."

"Indeed he has," Winter kept her response curt.

"Do you think it's because of mother?"

"Our mother does have a strong will and personality," Winter commented offhandedly. "I'm sure father is trying his best. Men like him are not used to being challenged. I'm sure he never expected our family name to require such diligence and trial." Weiss noticed the twitch in her sister's stature as she spoke of their father.

"He's yelled at you again?"

"It was not undeserved," Winter defended their father. "I plan to join the Atlas military instead of taking upon the responsibilities of heiress to our company. My abilities would be better served on the field rather than behind a desk."

"Is it because of your eye?" Weiss asked innocently. The seven year old noticed her sister's posture stiffen. "I'm sorry," she stammered. "I'll drop it. Does uncle Speil know?" Silence. "Sister-"

"Our uncle does not and will never know of what I told you," Winter finally turned to face her sister, an impassive expression laid on her face. "What I have has not been awakened since our ancestors. It is dangerous and should never be used-"

"But he has to know!" Weiss insisted. "He's the only one who knows about-" The sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the stone courtyard. Winter's hand was raised, having completed its swing.

"You will silence yourself," Winter spoke in a low tone, her voice shaking. "You are too young to understand the repercussions of such things, so I will forgive you this once. You will not tell anyone of what I showed you. To do so would endanger our entire family. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Winter," Weiss held back her tears. Inside, she knew that her sister was right. That knowledge didn't ease the stinging sensation left on her cheek, however. The elder sister's expression softened.

"Let us resume your training," she said. "You must become a strong woman."

 **XXXXX**

Blake traced her hand across the side of the blade, admiring its metal and shape. It was rather large compared to her, but she felt something of a kinship to it. Still, she was having her own weapon made for her personal use; something better suited to her small stature. Her and the other Faunus were having to arm themselves due to their rallies becoming more and more violent.

It wasn't something she thought so much about. The violence would bring them equality; she'd seen it with her own eyes. The way the humans became more generous than they had previously, as well as how they easily succumbed to their demands to appease them. Faunus were finally getting the respect they deserved! Still, it was only the start. They had to keep fighting for their equality.

Blake frowned for a moment, remembering the looks her parents had given her when she said that she wanted to stay. Wanted to keep fighting for the White Fang. Her father, one of the higher-ups of the organization, had left almost a year ago with her mother. They'd gone back to their home in Menagerie. That was fine, though. Blake didn't need those bonds. She'd sever them if she had to.

Yet still, she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that it was all a giant mistake. That she was making the wrong choices. Something echoed inside of her to hold fast to her relationship with her parents. She ignored it, though. True equality was in the grasp of the White Fang. It was only a matter of time.

"You're looking at that dusty thing again?" A voice appeared beside Blake. It would have startled her if her feline ears hadn't picked up on the footsteps approaching her. "It's just a sword. There's nothing special about it."

"I know, but it keeps reaching out to me," Blake replied, looking at the now polished blade. It was a chokuto, an old sword used by her ancestors through the generations. The entirety of the Belladonna family had passed it down, claiming that it had once been used by a god. Of course those stories were pretty ridiculous, but Blake liked to imagine that it was true.

"It's a sword," the girl rebutted. Blake could hear the incredulousness dripping off of her voice. "It can't talk, you dummy."

"It feels like a tugging feeling, Illia," Blake smiled as she spoke. "I can't help but be drawn to it. Like I'm supposed to use it." Blake, however, set the sword back down on its stand. She had her own room in the main HQ for the White Fang, where she kept a large number of books and other relaxants. There were also some bellroot on her desk, beside her sketchbook and pen. It was an illegal plant that in large doses could cause illusions and hysteria, but in smaller amounts could be used to numb pain and relax the muscles. Of course, Blake only took small amounts on rare occasions.

"The rally in Vale is going to be dangerous," Illia spoke up, giving her friend a concerned look. "I'm not sure you should go. I don't care what Adam says, people are gonna get hurt."

"Maybe," Blake sighed, knowing that this discussion would never be dropped. "But, I think I'll be fine. I have a weapon being made for me and Adam will be there. He's really strong, so he'll protect us."

"But what if he doesn't?"

"He will," Blake hugged her friend. "He loves me, and someday we're gonna get married in a world where faunus are equal with humans. So don't worry, ok?" Illia was silent for a moment, but she slowly wrapped her arms around Blake as well.

"Yeah," Blake was too young to notice the quiver in Illia's voice. "I guess so."

 **XXXXX**

A hooded figure walked through the streets of Romulo. He was tall and lanky, and kept his face hidden in the dark. He moved silently, but with purpose, avoiding the people around him with a grace and efficiency that could only be found in dancers and warriors. His clothes were simple and lacked any distinct markings upon them.

The man moved from stall to stall, thanking the vendors as they served him. It had been years since he'd gone on his journey, looking for those who'd given him peace. Over the time of his life, he'd learned multitudes of new things. Advancements in technology from those of the past.

He had been at the forefront, however. He developed technology to harness the natural power of the world. Unfortunately, nature didn't quite like being taken advantage of. He supposed the man that had earned his respect would be disappointed in him. He was long dead, however. Still, even the slender man respected him enough to not completely besmirch his ideals.

It wasn't like he hadn't watched over his family, after all. Always called in at times when things were most dire. Always the helping hand when his family needed it the most. It was a deal he could live with. After all, he was his village's undisputed genius.

Green eyes watched as the girl with red hair waved towards her fans. She was quickly becoming a big name. Someone who'd recently won the Junior League Championships. Her lineage, both sides of it, would be proud. For a moment, her emerald eyes met his. He could see her shiver. Her genes recognized him. Still, she smiled and continued as if nothing had changed.

Yet they both knew that it had. The crowd was soon dispersed, but he remained. The girl, Pyrrha, waited for him. The man approached her. "You certainly made quite the showing," the man commented the girl. She nodded, her smile polite. Her parents, Athena and Herm, both stood at her side. They didn't trust him.

"Thank you," the girl replied, shifting in her armor. The curt words being traded made for an uncomfortable atmosphere. "The weapons you designed for me are wonderful, professor."

"I would hope so," the man spoke in return, his gaze predatory. "They are made from a rare metal that can act as conduits for Aura and Semblances. I believe you can bring out the most in their potential."

"What is it that you want, snake?" Herm growled, having long since lost his patience. "Our daughter won't be subject to your experiments. Not like you did to Athena."

"They were merely blood samples," the man waved off his concern. "Just to determine your potential. I'm sure you understand, ma'am?"

"It doesn't make me happy," Athena replied, her scarlet hair tied back in a bun. "You said that Pyrrha-"

"Yes, her potential far exceeds those of your family line, all the way back to your ancient ancestors," the professor confirmed for the trio. His eyes passed over the young girl once more. "Your daughter will change history. She will become a woman who will decide the fate of nations."

"That's too much to put on the shoulders of one girl!" Herm protested, taking a step forward. He stood a head shorter than the man. "You can't possibly expect her to bear that kind of burden!"

"Not alone, no," the man's slitted eyes rested on the father. "Her appearance only means that the rest have come as well. The gods your people worship have returned to bring peace again." He paused. "I will return in time to explain the truth to you, child," he addressed the girl once more. "I have other families I must visit. To ensure that I am correct." With that, the pale man turned away and walked on. Pyrrha couldn't help the shiver that slid down her spine when she recalled the man's face. It seemed flaked, as if it wasn't actually his.


	2. Innocence Arc - Bitterness of Loss

Innocence Arc - Bitterness of Loss

XXXXX

Winter Schnee was not happy. Her mother had returned in a foul mood, and had all but ripped her father, herself, and her younger sister apart verbally. The mission, she was told, was a resounding success. It had, unfortunately, been at the cost of her mother's best friend. While she could understand her mother's grief, she also didn't like having her little sister caught in the crossfire. The young woman stared at herself in the mirror.

It was midnight, and far past the time when the elder Schnee sister should have found herself asleep. Still, her thoughts were plagued with the change in her mother over the last two days. While normally blunt and cold, her mother had never once been unfair. She enjoyed the occasional joke and family dinner. At least, she did.

Presently, her mother often slept apart from her husband. She also would criticize Weiss over simple mistakes, and Winter now seemed to be her partner for spars.

Winter splashed some cold water over her face, gazing at her glowing eyes. It was the source of her discomfort. Ever since she'd been completely overwhelmed by General Ironwood in a spar, she'd had those eyes. It had turned the tide of battle only for a moment. Still, she felt weak.

The military was her best choice. Yet then, it wasn't a choice she really wanted to make. To do so would mean leaving her younger sister behind with her family. Her beloved younger sister, whose very existence made Winter's heart melt with sisterly love. She swore that she would protect the younger Schnee at any cost.

"Yet I find myself powerless to do so when it really matters," the young woman cursed under her breath. She sighed, glancing outside towards the fractured moon. It had been said that the moon broke apart eons ago, though nobody could explain why. It was also a mystery as to why its pieces simply stayed in place as opposed to being pulled in by the moon or the planet.

The Schnee slowly left the bathroom and shut off the light. Her feet stepped lightly down the dark hall, illuminated only by the moon outside and gentle lights on the ceiling. She paused at her sister's room, hearing nothing from within. Weiss must have been asleep. Winter moved on. The hall was strangely warm despite the cold atmosphere. Outside it had to have been below freezing.

Winter found herself walking up to one of the maids in the complex. She was a young girl, an orphan who had been found out on the street. She was likely no older than Weiss. The girl had hair that was brown and pink, with a hint of whiteness on the edge of the pink stands. She also had pink and brown eyes that seemed alight with mischief. "Neopolitan," Winter greeted the girl.

The girl tilted her head and smiled. She had been discovered as mute when the Schnee patriarch had picked her up. It had taken some time to translate the girl's intentions from her body language and expressions.

"You're up very late," Winter continued, recognizing the greeting for what it was. "You wouldn't happen to be making your way towards the kitchen, are you?" The girl rolled her eyes, but a light flush to her cheeks gave away her position. "I believe Aesir made it known to you that he does not tolerate thievery in his kitchen. Even if it does happen to only consist of ice-cream."

Neo stomped her foot against the ground and puffed out her cheeks, her eyes defiant. She then blinked before grinning, pointing her finger towards Winter. "No," the young woman sighed, "I will not assist you, nor will I cover for you." Neo's fists clenched and she stuck her tongue out in a raspberry. "I don't care what you have to say, I won't assist you. Now, you should be getting to bed. Father will not be happy if-" Winter immediately silenced herself as she saw a figure walk down the hall adjacent to the one she and Neo were in.

Neo noticed her pause and turned to look in the direction Winter was facing. A man with grassy green hair walked down the hall, followed by a couple of men carrying a large box. It looked almost like a casket. A series of strange symbols surrounded the casket, the most prominent one looked like a spiral.

"Follow me," Winter instructed the girl, moving towards the way the men had walked. They couldn't have been assassins, or else they would have moved more silently. Neo stuck close to Winter's side as they followed the men, who eventually ended up in her father's study. "What could they be doing there?" Neo simply shrugged.

Bart quickly had the door closed behind him. Koald stood from behind his desk, his crystal blue eyes focused on the casket in front of him. It had all the markings told in the legend, and then some. "This is it?" He asked, already knowing the answer to his own question. It wouldn't have been brought to him if it wasn't. "What are those spiral markings? They're glowing."

"It happened after miss Rose touched the casket," Bart spoke, observing the markings closely as Koald did the same. "She was blasted back and had a considerable amount of Aura drained from her body when she did so. The latter of which resulted in her death later in the mission."

"My condolences," the bearded man replied, focused more on the item in front of him. "She was a strong and capable woman."

"One of the best," Bart agreed. "Regardless, it seems to be a locking mechanism. Or rather, an unlocking mechanism. I believe that if more of these symbols were to unlock, then it may release the man inside."

"A god," Koald muttered aloud. Bart shifted his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "A man with unmatched power."

"Exaggerations, I'm sure," Bart sighed. "However, I don't have a doubt that whoever or whatever is sealed inside was once extremely powerful. I doubt that they're still alive."

"You don't know your history as well as you should," Koald spoke with an authorative tone of voice. "The ancient families all have stories of beings that could seal things inside of objects and have them returned just as fresh as they were before. Sealing a human into stasis would be child's play for them."

"Those are only legends," Bart insisted. Koald shook his head.

"Not to the Schnee," the man rested his hand on the casket. Nothing happened. The Schnee growled and tried to focus his Aura, but still nothing happened. "What? This is preposterous. It's supposed to take the Aura of my family and release the god within! Why didn't it work?"

"Not all legends are true, Mr. Schnee," the other man sighed, shaking his head with disappointment. "Perhaps some coffee and food will clear our minds. We can return to this at a later time."

"Perhaps that would be for the best," the man sighed after those words, patting the casket twice. "I can't imagine what else could open this damn box. I had been unaware that the Rose's Aura would influence it, however."

"It's truly an astounding mystery," Bart agreed, making is way towards the door. The men that had accompanied him followed suit, each having their own discussion with one another. "We'll return in a few hours to see what else we can find. Perhaps there are more legends your family has hidden away that we can draw from?" The door closed behind the men, and the only noise in the office came from the soft hum of the casket.

After several minutes, the door slowly opened. Neo's head popped in first, taking in the empty room. She entered, soon followed by Winter. "This is not a good idea," the elder Schnee sister spoke aloud. "What about this box interests you so?" Neo pouted before she kicked the casket. She then rested her hands on her hips. "I don't believe kicking it will cause it to open."

The tri-color themed girl shrugged comically before leaning closer to the box, staring at the red spiral shape in the center. It seemed to spin slowly in a hypnotic fashion. The girl then hopped excitedly, pointing towards the mark with a wide smile on her face.

"What exactly have you found?" Winter asked, giving the maid a perplexed expression. Neo held up her hand towards her eyes and widened them, then pointed towards the Schnee. Winter scowled. "How do you know about them? Only my sister should-" Neo rolled her eyes and made a motion with her hand that resembled a puppet speaking obnoxiously. "I am not that loud. You were eavesdropping on me?"

Neo stuck her tongue out and repeated the action. "You're an insufferable child," Winter sighed. "What was it that you wanted me to do? Bring out my eyes and touch the box?" Neo nodded. The girl watched as her heterochromatic eyes met red ones. She felt a shiver slip down her spine at the eyes, each one accented by single comma-looking marks that slowly seemed to rotate around the iris just like the spiral did.

Winter took a deep breath before she reached out towards the box, feeling power radiate off from it that she hadn't been able to sense before. It was unnerving, to say the least. As soon as her skin brushed against the cold steel, her knees shook and she felt weak. Winter could feel the box absorbing her Aura. She tried to move away, but it was as if her hand were magnetized to the metal. Finally, she felt a release and stumbled backwards.

Neo peered across the box's top, noticing the three comma-like symbols that seemed similar to the ones in Winter's eyes appear on the box. Something inside of it hissed, and dust came forth from the seams of the lid as it raised just slightly. It appeared to have been unsealed in a way. "What is that?" Winter asked, catching her breath. She slowly stood, using one of her father's bookcases to steady herself.

"-just be a moment, let me grab my wallet," Koald's voice appeared outside, and not a moment later the door opened. The Schnee patriarch blinked as he took in the scene before him. His eldest daughter and his youngest maid stood by the casket which now had a new symbol. The casket's lid was slowly moving to the side. "What in the world?" His voice was filled with confusion. He turned to Winter. "Winter, what did you do?"

"I-" the elder sister was, for once, at a loss for words. The casket's lid fell to a floor with a loud crash. Koald, Neo, and Winter turned to see exactly what had been inside.

"What was that, Koald?" Bart spoke as he entered the room. His glasses fell down his nose as he saw what had changed since he'd last been in the room. "The tomb. It's open?" All four leaned over, hoping to see whatever was inside. "It's-"

"It's just a boy?" Koald growled, not sure whether or not to be angry, exhausted, or confused. "The god mentioned in the Schnee ancestors legends is just a boy?" Indeed, inside the casket was a young boy who couldn't have been older than Neo. His features were sharp and angular for his age, and his hair was the same color as the blackness of space. His skin had an olive complexion and he seemed to be just a smidge taller than Weiss, if Winter was measuring him correctly.

Neo seemed to have a deep interest in the boy, as she reached forward to poke his face a few times with a curious expression on her face. "Neo, don't do that," Winter scolded the younger girl. "It's not appropriate to do that to someone who cannot respond."

"He is more than likely already deceased," Bart spoke to the young woman before him as Koald sat himself back at his desk, calming himself down. "The casket is probably hundreds of thousands of years old. While the body may be perfectly preserved, he is likely long-dead."

Neo glanced at the man, confusion spread across her features. Winter vocalized the question, "Why on earth would they bury a child? He doesn't have any visible injuries and I'm sure someone who had been sick would be much less well-built." Indeed, the child seemed to be healthy.

"I wouldn't be able to say," Bart spoke slowly. "However, I do have an idea." His voice trailed off. As the bespectacled man pondered, Neo took a closer look at the body and the casket. She blinked, realizing something. The girl tugged at Winter's sleeve.

"Yes? What is it?" The Schnee sister asked. Neo tapped the casket and held her arms wide open. She then pointed to the child within and held her hands only a foot apart. "The boy isn't the same size as the casket? Well, that is true, but we don't know what burial practices were like, back then." Neo quickly shook her head and pointed to the empty spots in the casket, namely below the boy's feet and above his head. "Yes, it does seem like these areas were used. You think he used to be bigger? But that's impossible, Neopolitan."

Neo pouted and rested her hands on her hips in response. "I don't care what you think, a man suddenly becoming smaller simply isn't possible."

"Perhaps not through conventional means," Koald spoke up, his mouth resting behind his hands as his elbows rested on his desk. "However, Bart did say once before that the casket absorbed Aura. Our very fiber of being and connection to our soul. It could be possible that it fed off of Aura to keep the body fresh and well preserved. Absorbing the boy's very soul to keep it active. Who knows what effects that could have?" Winter had never seen her father act so studious.

"You do have a point, Mr. Schnee," Bart spoke up, observing the boy. He picked at the odd clothing that the child had, which seemed oversized now that he thought about it. "That could indeed be the case. I believe we can glean much knowledge from the child-"

All conversation stopped as the child of discussion moved, raising his arms above his head and opening his mouth for a yawn. Bleary dark eyes opened and took in their surroundings. Winter and Neo were both frozen in place as a supposed boy who was thousands of years old sat up, looking around. Koald had slowly risen to his feet.

"Eh? Someone get me a cup of tea and some breakfast," the boy mumbled, crawling out of the casket. He froze, however, once his feet hit the floor. "Who are you people? Actually, who am I?" Koald and Bart's eyes met.

Amnesia, the Schnee mouthed to Bart. Because of Aura drain?

Possible, Bart responded. "Young man," the studious man spoke up after clearing his throat. "What is the last thing you remember?" The boy's brows furrowed in thought as he attempted to remember something. Panic slowly spread across the boy's features. Bart moved quickly to intervene. "Calm down," he knelt in front of the boy and grasped his shoulders. "You've just woken from a very long slumber. I'm sure it's just your mind adjusting to the current circumstances." Bart glanced at Winter as he held the boy. He motioned for her to come closer. "Tell me, do you know how old you are?"

"S-Seven," the boy stammered out. "My name."

"Yes, yes, what is your name, dear boy?" Bart insisted. Anything to try and keep him calm.

"I don't know," the boy's breathing hitched. Winter met Bart's eyes once more and understood. She felt her arms wrap around the seven year old. "I don't know my name."

"Shhh, it's ok," Winter whispered, hoping that she could at least keep the child calm. The teenage girl thought briefly for a solution. "Would you like me to give you a name?" All was silent save for the breathing of the five people in the room. After a long minute, the boy nodded slowly. "Perhaps something befitting our family? Whitley?"

"That sounds stupid," the boy grumbled. Winter was taken aback by the boy's casual insult, but dismissed it. Only this once, however.

"Then maybe something-" Winter paused as she felt a warm power seem from the boy. "Something warm, then? How about Macht? Macht Warme?" She saw the boy mumble the word under his lips for a moment before nodding once more.

Macht looked back at Winter, his dark eyes seeming more confident than he'd been moments ago. "Are you and me related?"

"We are not," Koald stepped forward, looking down at the boy who didn't even reach his waist. "But perhaps you'd like to stay here? If you serve my family, then you will be well taken care of. You'll be given full meals, a warm bed, and a proper home." Neo grinned at the words and launched herself at the boy, wrapping him up in her arms as well. His own eyes gazed into the mismatched orbs of the girl, and he felt his heartbeat quicken.

"Y-Yeah," Macht nodded, not able to take his eyes off of Neopolitan. "You're... really cute." Neo's eyes widened and shock. She pouted and punched the boy in the chest. Macht smiled, completely unaffected.

"Young man," Bart spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. Nobody noticed as Neo shook her hand, a pained expression on her face. "I believe it is late enough that everyone should grab some sleep. In the morning, you and miss Schnee will go out and shop for new clothes for you."

"Excuse me," Winter spoke up, "But I won't have time to do so. I'll be applying for the Atlas Military tomorrow."

"I meant your sister."

"Weiss?"

"I believe someone closer to his age may make it easier for him to adjust to his surroundings," Bart spoke calmly. He glanced towards Koald. "Would you be opposed to the idea?"

"Not at all," Koald shook his head. He spoke slowly, as if thinking. "In fact, I'd like it if you were to be Weiss' personal assistant. Someone who can watch over her when I can't." Winter's eyes widened at the thought. Some strange boy watching over her little sister? Her clear blue eyes twitched for a moment before she calmed herself. The boy had no memory and it was really an ingenious plan. In essence, attach the boy to Weiss so he could be closely monitored and even gain a loyalty to the Schnee name. Or more in particular, to Weiss.

"Ok," Macht agreed easily, wiping away the stray tears from his own eyes. Bart nodded in response. "I'm tired."

"Then we should find a spare bedroom for you," the green haired man suggested. "Koald?"

"Unfortunately, we're lacking any empty bedrooms for those in the servant position," the patriarch spoke calmly. He rested his hand on Neo's shoulder. "Fortunately, miss Neopolitan here does happen to have a spare bed in her room. She hasn't yet been assigned a roommate. Would you be alright sharing your room with Macht, Neopolitan?"

The bi-colored eyes of Neo gazed over Macht before she smiled. The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Fantastic," Bart grinned, feeling the long day slowly start to catch up with him. "In fact, why don't you direct him, miss Neopolitan? I believe Koald and I have some food to attend to." Neo's cheeks puffed out and annoyance and she pointed a thumb towards herself.

"I'm afraid you won't be able to raid the kitchen tonight," Koald chuckled. "However, I will ensure that you have an extra scoop of chocolate icecream tomorrow for volunteering the extra space in your room." Neo smirked and tilted her head towards the man. "Yes, I will include strawberries in it." The girl clapped her hands excitedly before grabbing Macht's. The young boy's eyes widened before the girl took off with her new friend in tow.

"W-Wait up!" The boy yelled as they ran out of the room. "You're gonna tear my arm off!" Bart and Koald shared a glance.

"Winter, if you would leave us?" The white-haired man spoke to his daughter. Winter nodded.

"Yes, father," she returned, immediately leaving the room. Bart stayed silent until the door closed behind him.

"Well, he is no god," the man chuckled, earning a glare from his friend. "It seems that there are more mysteries in this world than we once thought."

"I'll discover them, yet," spoke the taller man, his voice a strong baritone. He made his way to his desk, opening a drawer to grab his wallet. "The Schnee ancestors were once the strongest clan in the world. Second only to those descended from the same family of Summer and Taiyang."

"What about the Branwen and Belladonna?" Bart asked, curious. They had an extensive history together, after all.

"What about them?" Koald's eyes flashed with rage at the two other names. "They're nothing to us. We are the true descendants of our forefather's will and power. Those two side branches mean nothing."

"I suppose you could say the same about young Winter, then," Bart scolded the man. The heat faded from Koald's eyes as he slowly approached his friend. "She is-"

"Winter is a special case," the man sighed agonizingly. "Yuki and I were not yet married, and it was a night of drinking and merriment. I have no grudge against her father. Not right now, that is." Koald cleared his throat.

"And Ghira?" Bart insisted. "He stepped down only because he wishes for true peace between you and his family."

"So long as he and his stay out of my way, then I won't hunt them down," Koald crossed his arms, remaining stubborn. "Enough of this. Let's grab some food. I'm sure we have other things that need to be done."

XXXXX

"You're lying!"

"I'm sorry, kiddo. We did all that we-"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" The girl disappeared in a flurry of red petals back up the stairs to her room. She slammed into the wall once before running normally, slamming the door behind her. The young man let out the breath he'd been holding, glancing over at his brother in law.

"Tai," he spoke, his voice tired and worn from crying. "Tai, you need to go and comfort her." The blonde remained motionless, staring at his own hands with tears streaming down his face. He'd been like that the entire way home. It was unnerving in a way. The most cheerful couple he'd ever known were now dead to the world, both figuratively and literally.

"Uncle Qrow?" A young girl spoke up, glancing around the corner from the kitchen. "Is mom really dead?" The Branwen sighed, knowing he'd have to break the news just once more. It was three times too many.

"Yeah, Firecracker," Qrow suddenly felt old. It was as if a spark of life had suddenly disappeared. "Summer, ah, your mom didn't make it. Your sister didn't really take the news well." He would have felt better if Yang had openly cried. He waited for the purple eyed blonde to break down like her sister or father. Instead, with only a glance to her father, she seemed to silently accept it.

Part of Qrow Branwen broke inside seeing such a thing. "What do we need to do?" She didn't ask what happened, if everything would be alright, or anything similar to how a girl her age should act. She was stepping up to the plate.

"First, we should probably make some dinner," the elder of the two nodded slowly at his own words. That sounded about right. Something that Summer would suggest. "As much as it hurts, we can't let your dad or sister starve to death. You know how to cook?"

"I can learn," Yang's voice was quiet, but held a firmness to it. "What are we gonna make?" Qrow knew instantly as one dish in particular came to mind.

"I think we should send off your mom right," he walked over to the blonde and ruffled her hair. She didn't smack his hand away. "Some homemade lasagna, cake for desert, and I need a drink."

"We have fruit punch and soda," the girl suggested. Qrow almost laughed.

"I think I'm gonna need something a lot stronger than that."

Dinner was made in silence, but it was a relaxing silence despite it all. Still, the air of mourning hung above Qrow and Yang. It was impossible to ignore the utter tenseness that permeated the house's walls. Qrow could only think back to Summer's last moments. Burning up from the inside out as she used a power thought lost for thousands of years. The human body couldn't take such amounts of concentrated Aura. It couldn't even begin to handle the sheer amount of power.

It was, indeed, power. The force that she'd released. That glowing form. Those golden, slitted eyes. It was like looking at an entirely different person. In addition to that, the massive creature she'd summoned for that final blast. He and the others had just barely escaped from the shockwave. The blast itself have leveled the mountain range around it. There was no question that Summer had become Aura- no, power incarnate.

"I'll see you later," she'd told them. It had been a lie, and everyone knew it. She'd died a hero. She'd died a Huntress. It was then that Qrow realized that it was the fate of Huntsmen and Huntresses to die. Perhaps, in her final moments, Summer realized that.

The dusty haired man sighed and grabbed a drink from the fridge. It was a bottle of beer that he and the others usually drank to celebrate. It was Summer's favorite since it had a light sweet aftertaste to it. The man took a swig and sighed. "This is for you, Summer," he mumbled, setting the bottle down on the counter beside him as he continued to roll out the lasagna in a pan.

"The batter is mixing," Yang brought his attention to the cake she was in the process of making. Qrow slipped the meal into the oven, preheated as he'd made the food. He nodded, acknowledging Yang's statement. "Uncle Qrow?"

"Hm?"

"Did mom," she cut herself short before resuming. "Do you think mother will be gone after hearing that mom died?" Ah, Raven. He'd almost forgotten about his vengeful and rebellious sister. Part of him had hoped that Yang wouldn't bring up the topic again. He'd been a fool to believe that.

"Probably not, Firecracker," the young man sighed. "Your mom ain't the one to really care about stuff that happens to other people." He saw the blonde's fists clench.

"She'd really break the bonds of her friendship that much?" She asked, not seeming to understand just how painful the world around her really was. "Didn't she consider mom a sister? That's what you said, right?"

"Some people just aren't cut out to make connections with others, Yang," Qrow tried to explain the whole situation as best as he could. "Your mother being one of them. She's always had a twisted sort of mentality, though. Not exactly wrong, but..." Qrow shook his head. He really could have used Raven at that moment. Some sort of female role model for the girls. He wasn't cut out for that and Tai was catatonic.

"Then I'll bring her back," Yang declared. "I don't care how long it takes, I'll bring my mother back. I refuse to give up on her."

"Whoa, whoa, there Firecracker," Qrow tried to ease his niece. "Calm down a bit. Your mother's not going to be easy to convince."

"Then I'll beat her up until she can't do anything but come back!" Yang began to glow, and her eyes were visibly a crimson red.

"Hey, calm down," Qrow reached out and grabbed the girl's shoulder. She was hot to the touch, but he'd earned worse during missions. A little heat wouldn't bother him. "None of that, Yang. We need to focus on here and now, got it?" Yang slowly seemed to simmer down at the words, but her hands remained clenched.

"Yeah, fine," the girl sighed. "I-" A knock at the door interrupted them. Yang and Qrow shared a glance before the elder of the two moved to the living room. He spotted Tai who had passed out on the couch, too emotionally drained to do anything. Qrow's hand grasped the door handle and turned it, opening it wide to reveal who was behind it.

"I must say, it's been a long time since we last met, hasn't it, Branwen?" Qrow growled at the figure standing in front of him. Snake-like eyes stared back, with a ghost of a smile settling on the new arrival's lips.

"Not like I'd give a damn if you just up and died one day," the Branwen shot back.

"Hey, who's at the- Uncle Orochimaru?" Yang's voice echoed from behind Qrow. The man's smile seemed to grow at the sight of the blonde.

"Yang Xiao-Long," Orochimaru's voice was smooth as he addressed the young girl. "You've grown since I last saw you."

XXXXX

"No, that doesn't match your hair at all."

"Hm, maybe if you had some good pants."

"Guys, I really don't think-"

"Nonsense, if you're going to represent the Schnee name then you have to be dressed appropriately."

"But-"

"Neo is right, Macht," Weiss spoke for the girl standing beside her who was slowly shaking her head in disappointment. "The Schnee do not wear dark colors as we have nothing to hide. As my personal servant, you must be held to the same expectations."

"It's not fair!" Macht protested. "I want to wear something comfortable for once!"

"Once you get used to it, these clothes will become comfortable," Weiss told the boy, not sure why he was complaining so much. "Look, will you just give it a chance?" Macht grumbled under his breath before he stepped once more into the changing room. Neo stuck her tongue out tauntingly and smirked. "I agree, Neo. He would do to learn some manners." The girl smiled daintily as she waited for the boy to leave the changing room and show them the new clothes they'd picked out. They'd already found several sets for day-to-day living, but now needed to find him clothes for more formal events.

"I hate you both," the boy grumbled from behind the curtain. "This isn't worth it."

"Are you finished? If so, then come and show us," the girls heard a sigh from behind the curtains before Macht stepped out. A red flush adorned his cheeks as he revealed himself in a pair of khaki dress pants, black dress shoes, a white button-up shirt and a grey vest that remained unbuttoned. "Not bad," Weiss trailed off.

Neo was much more critical with her assessment, holding up six of her fingers. "Only that much?" The other girl asked. "What ever for?" The icecream themed girl shook her head and made a motion much like washing a stain from a window. "Missing? What exactly could be missing? He looks fine as he is."

Neo glared at her friend, who glared right back. The heterochromatic eyed girl pointed to her own head, then to Macht. "A hat? Why on Remnant would he need a hat?" Neo stomped her foot. "Fine, go and get this hat that you think would look so good on him." Neo grinned before she ran off. Macht's eyes followed her.

"She's really kind of weird," he commented, his expression unreadable to the young girl. "Is she always like that?"

"Yes," Weiss answered simply. "She does her job well, but she's always causing trouble for the rest of the servants." Her icy blue eyes met his. "I expect you to not act like her in the slightest. Do you understand?" It was strange being ordered around by a girl who was the same age as him. Still, he'd given her dad his word.

"Yeah, sure," the boy mumbled as Neo came back with a light-brown jaxon hat. Macht blinked when Neo held it out to him before he placed it on his head. He looked towards Weiss, who seemed to be judging him and comparing how he looked with the hat as opposed to without it.

"I have to say, Neo," she spoke up. "You were right. It does add some class to him." Neo grinned victoriously. "No need to get like that. It was only once." The grin never faded from Neo's face. "You're impossible."

"You two are really good friends," Macht noticed aloud. He had a smile on his face. For some reason, he was glad to see Weiss had friends. Or at least one friend.

"Please, her?" Weiss asked dubiously. Neo feigned a strike to the heart at the dismissal. The Schnee only rolled her eyes at the act but smiled. "Well, if that's all then let's go pay for these new clothes. Macht? Get changed." Macht groaned and went back behind the curtain. Neo silently laughed at the boy. "Oh, don't be rude, Neo."

The girl stuck out her tongue and swept her hand across her in a curved motion. Weiss' face lit up. "W-What!? He is not! You take that back. Where did you even learn that!?" Neo grinned, but didn't say anything more.

"I'm ready," Macht sighed and held out several stacks of clothing in his arms. For a boy, he was awfully strong. Not that Weiss really had anyone to compare him to. Still, she knew that most of the other servants couldn't carry that many clothes all at once. It was impressive.

"Come on," the girl grinned, making her way back to the front of the store. Paying for the clothes was, aptly, child's play for her. It wasn't long until she, Neo, and Macht were all carrying bags and were heading back to the Schnee estate. "I'm feeling quite hungry. What do you think would be good for lunch?" Neo's eyes seemed to flash. "No, I don't believe icecream would be good for lunch. Maybe some real food?"

"Rice, fish, and some assorted vegetables," Macht suggested. Weiss shook her head and Neo retched.

"Eww, no!" The Schnee disagreed wholly. "Vegetables are disgusting!"

"They're good and healthy for a growing-"

"No, just no," the young girl frowned. "I don't like vegetables in the least." Macht sighed. He felt out of place, but he supposed he'd get used to it. He didn't notice the car slowing down beside them.

"Gotcha!" Two hands grabbed both Weiss and Neo, dragging them inside of the car before anyone could react. The bags they carried fell to the ground and the van quickly sped away. Macht could have sworn he could hear Weiss' scream even as the van drove off.

"Weiss! Neo!" The boy panicked, chasing after the car. He dropped the bags he had been carrying, attempting to chase the kidnappers. "Wait! Come back!" Fear and confusion enveloped the boy. His body felt hot. His body felt sluggish. He needed to be faster. He needed to be stronger. He needed to be a god.

XXXXX

"You got the brat?" The red haired young man asked as the van pulled up to the compound. The base had been generously donated by its previous owner. Adam was one of the new leaders of a small faction of White Fang, slated to become even more powerful as time passed. He was young, but ambitious and had the charisma to lead others.

"Right in the back, boss," the driver of the van spoke. "Got them both tied up and ready for slaughter."

"No, they don't deserve to be slaughtered. At least not in private," the boy growled. "Wait, what do you mean both?"

"She was with another girl and a boy. We just grabbed the two closest to us and left the boy in our dust," the crow Faunus laughed. "Regan is terrorizing the two in the back. What are we gonna do with them, boss?"

"Hold them for ransom," Adam instructed as the doors on the back of the van opened. "We take the money for the cause and kill them anyway. It'll take a couple of days, but we can afford it. It'll be well worth the wait."

"Roger, boss," the driver pulled away, revealing two White Fang goons holding Weiss Schnee and another girl with multi-colored hair.

Weiss had no idea what to do when the boy in front of her approached. His hair was red like blood and he smelled horrible. He had a large sword strapped to his waist. She had no doubts about where she was. Her father had made it abundantly clear that the White Fang were not to be trusted. That any Faunus could be a member and she'd never know it. They were dangerous.

"L-Let me go!" She tried to demand, but the usual authority to her voice was missing. "My father will-" A slap rang through the air as the boy's hand met her cheek. Tears welled up in Weiss' eyes.

"Shut up, you dirty Schnee," Weiss cowed at the sheer hatred that was laced in the boy's voice. She'd never heard her last name spat out like a dirty word before. "Your family is going to pay in blood for all the crimes they've done against Faunus!"

"B-But I didn't do anything!" Weiss protested. "Neo didn't do anything either! Honest!"

"There's no such thing as an innocent Schnee," the Faunus that was holding her growled, smacking her in the back with his knee. Weiss cried out in pain, the tears falling freely down her face. "You're all racist scum!"

"Take her to her new room for the next few days," the boy growled. "Feel free to do whatever you want to her." A shiver ran down Weiss' spine at those words. She could only think of being beat up a lot. The Faunus holding her had different ideas. It would be a waste, after all, to let a nubile body like hers go untouched.

"With pleasure, boss," Regan grinned, hoisting the tied up Schnee over his shoulder. The girl protested and squirmed. The other one did the same, but was oddly silent. Either way, he was about to have some fun. It didn't take long to walk through the metal halls of the mountain compound. Dust powered lights led the way further in, emitting a soft hum as they lit up the base. "You're gonna feel real good in just a few moments," he taunted the girls. "You're ours for a few days."

"Let me go, please!" Weiss had stopped struggling a few corners back. The energy was gone from her body. Her mind was slowly starting to accept that she was going to suffer and die. She was terrified. "Please, I'll do anything."

The girl's voice slowly started to devolve into a mumble as the exhaustion started to catch up with her. Thankfully for Regen, they were right by the holding cells. He threw the Schnee inside, her face scraping against the wall. Blood seeped from a cut that formed over her left eye. Weiss screamed.

"It hurts!" She protested as she heard the door closed. She opened her right eye, seeing the Faunus that had carried her inside grinning. Neo was nowhere in sight. "Please, don't hurt me."

"Oh, I ain't gonna hurt you, sweetheart," the Faunus chuckled, finally living out his desire to have power over a Schnee. "I'm just gonna make ya scream."

"W-What are you doing? Put your clothes back on! you're disgusting! Somebody help me!"

XXXXX

Power overwhelming. Macht was brimming with power and energy. It burned. The young boy couldn't contain his own energy, and it visibly seeped out from his very pores into the air. Yet it felt natural to him, that power. The only problem was, it was rapidly depleting, being released into the world around him. He couldn't contain the sheer amount of energy he held. Still, he knew what he had to do.

Weiss, the girl he was supposed to protect, had been taken. He would make whoever had taken her regret it. Not to mention Neo, the girl who had hugged him when he'd first woken up, had been taken too. They were people who could be his friends, and they were gone. Macht roared with anger and took off after the van.

Citizens of Norden would long tell of the day that a boy tore up the pavement on the roads as he ran after a black van. Macht, unfortunately, was nowhere near as fast as the fleeing vehicle. His body couldn't handle the strain of moving that fast, no matter how much he felt like he was moving slowly. The boy ran on pure instinct.

The suburbs of the city became a long distant memory as he chased the van out into the mountains beyond. Time became irrelevant, all he knew was that he needed to protect Weiss. Once more the boy exploded with power and vigor. He would protect her to his dying breath. That was his mission.

XXXXX

Adam sneered at the human who'd just charged through the metal gates of the compound as if they were nothing. It was a human boy, but something was unusual about him. Blue Aura poured out of his body like steam, and as a user of Aura, Adam could feel the sheer amount of energy contained within the boy. It was like an ocean. Almost limitless.

Still, judging by the huge amount radiating out of the kid, he probably didn't have any control over it. "Well?" He growled to the four goons by him. "Get him!" The four Faunus immediately drew their weapons and opened fire. Adam watched carefully as the rounds seemed to disintegrate as soon as they hit the Aura around the boy. Firearms wouldn't work. "Get in close! Your bullets are doing nothing!"

Adam could feel his heart clench as five of his brethren tried to attack the slowly approaching kid from behind. The sounding alarms did nothing to alleviate the feeling when the boy vanished, quickly dispatching through the White Fang goons like they were paper. His hands were soaked in blood; his fists had torn straight through the heads and chests of his fellow revolutionaries.

"Give me Weiss!" The monster screamed. Adam knew he'd have to take action. He couldn't let his leadership end here! The bull Faunus gripped his katana by the hilt and dashed towards the boy, hoping to inspire come confidence in those around him. The boy noticed him and, in a movement Adam could barely track, lunged at him.

The bull was lucky, drawing his blade at just the right time to block an incoming fist to his torso. He felt himself slide back by a foot at the strike. Adam growled, completing the slice. It knocked the boy back, but he didn't see any blood drawn. The kid's Aura must have absorbed the attack. Adam didn't give the little monster any time to recover, dashing in for another blow.

His Aura was like an ocean, but even oceans had their limits. He'd just have to outlast the kid. The boy, predictably, easy blocked and avoided his attack.

The two young forces of nature continued their assault on one another, each attack blocked or avoided by the other. To those watching, it almost became a dance of sorts. The energy being let off by the boy seemed to twist and write with every movement, filling the air with visible power at every block, dodge, and strike.

To Adam, however, the view was very different. Sweat fell upon his cheek as he tried to keep up with the boy's movements. It was like fighting an unending wall of energy. The boy didn't seem to tire out in the slightest, and was keeping up with him despite being unarmed. Adam, however, had no such stamina. He was on his last legs, and he was noticeably slowing. His arms were sore and his legs were getting sluggish. It was only a matter of time before-

Adam felt himself crash against the metal wall, crumpling the sheet inwards by a couple of inches. The pain of the fist to his abdomen swarmed his senses. He'd lost? Panic filled the boy. He was going to die. The boy that was probably half his age was going to kill him. Was this the kind of monster that the Schnee family could afford? Fear gripped his body as the child approached him uncontested. Nobody dared to face up against the child that had singlehandedly beaten their leader without breaking a sweat.

"No," Adam stammered, trying to stay strong despite the pressure overwhelming him. He could see himself dying in a multitude of ways. "No, stay back! I'm warning you!" The Aura was completely enveloping the boy, hiding what he looked like. all that Adam could see was a small shadow approaching him. Glowing black eyes stared at him through the veil of power.

"Stay away from Weiss Schnee," was all the beast said. Adam could only nod, not trusting his words. "Tell me where she is."

"D-Down the hall to the left," the bull told the demon in front of him. "Six doors down, turn right, and then another four doors to the left." The two stared at one another for a moment before the boy slowly walked down the hall. Adam calmed his own breathing. He'd dodged death. Blake would have to be warned. Hell, the entirety of the White Fang had to be warned. "Everyone order a retreat! this place is compromised!"

XXXXX

Weiss awoke with a start. A blanket was being wrapped around her, and bright lights surrounded her. She could feel herself being carried, and immediately panicked. "Hey, hey, calm down," a strong voice muttered as she flailed. Weiss immediately looked around. She was in the middle of nowhere, and was being carried to an ambulance on a stretcher. She could see the city in the distance.

"W-Where am I?" She asked the nearest person, a medic from the looks of it. The man had a strong jawline and a pair of glasses. His hair was cut short and his nose was a bit large for his face. "Who are you?"

"Ah, my name is Josef Ludwig," the man stated, looking over a clipboard. "We found you and your friend out here in the cold. The police were already on the way when we found the boy carrying you back to the city."

"Boy...? Macht?" Weiss asked, confused. Macht had come after her? How wasn't he dead?

"He was on his last legs when we found you both," Josef continued. "His Aura was completely drained and you have a nasty cut to your head." The man glanced to the side where Macht laid, already in the ambulance.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The boy was on a stretcher of his own. Weiss slowly stood, under the piercing eyes of Josef, and made her way to her protector.

"Macht," she mumbled. "Are you ok? What happened?" Macht turned his head to look at the girl. Tears streamed down his face. "W-Where's Neo?"

"I couldn't find her," was all he said. Weiss froze before she crawled up into the back of the ambulance. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I-It's ok, Macht," Weiss tried to comfort the crying boy, hiding her own tears. Neo had been her best friend for a couple of years. To know she was just gone, taken by the White Fang, left a hole in her heart. "We'll find her someday. O-Ok?" Macht didn't respond for a moment but slowly nodded. None of the medics protested when Weiss slowly crawled into the stretched with the boy, hugging him. It was strong enough to hold them both.


	3. Innocence Arc - Taking Up Arms

Innocence Arc – Taking Up Arms and Making Friends

XXXXX

Exhaustion gripped the young girl as she ran across the streets. The once bright and beautiful clothing she'd owned were now torn and tattered. They'd become like that when she had to defend herself from ingrates who wanted to rape her. She'd quickly learned to show them who was boos. A brick to the face. A plank of wood to the wood. A shoved into a busy street.

The girl cursed internally. The White Fang had caused her unbelievable amounts of pain. She had no idea where she was after she'd been shoved into a Bullhead out of Atlas. Once the flying vehicle had landed, the girl had made her escape by lighting the entire airfield up with a case of unstable fire Dust.

She knew she'd only gotten away through luck. Still, she didn't blame that luck in the slightest. She needed to get home somehow. The only question was how. The girl was currently stuck in Vale, hundreds if not thousands of miles away from her home in Atlas. It was scary. The streets were different and much less friendly to someone like her.

Several times already she'd been tossed out of stores and had things thrown at her from store owners. Neo was apparently too young to be hired anywhere to make money, and street rats like her would only be chased away. Several times she considered going to the police, but she had no idea what they'd do to her or if they'd even be able to help.

There was nothing she could do. At least not for now. Neo was stuck in Vale for the time being.

The girl panted silently as she hid down an alleyway, gleaming over her spoils. Cooked ham, turkey, and some bread she'd stolen right under the noses of the convenience store clerk. It wasn't much, but it would last her a couple of days. Of course she'd been found out when she tried to leave, but she had enough experience stealing from the Schnee kitchens that she could make an easy getaway.

Still, she'd lost her pursuers plenty of blocks down and then some. She would eat well for the next couple of days.

The girl walked through the back alleys of the city, avoiding areas she knew to be dangerous as well as those that were owned by gangs. Neo had an alley all to her own near the outskirts of the city. It had taken a couple of weeks for her to adjust and learn the rules of being homeless. It wasn't nice, especially for girls like her.

It was all too common to find weird men or women who wanted to take advantage of a girl like her. She'd seen firsthand what would happen to her if she were caught. The girl in the alley that neighbored hers would be abused every other night. Usually by the boy that she shared it with. Sometimes his friends. Other times by complete strangers.

Neo hadn't made any friends during her time in Vale. Any attempts to communicate with others went unsuccessful and nobody cared to stick around long enough to try.

The girl finally arrived to her literal dumpster that she called home. She'd learned how to seal and block off one half of the large metal container for garbage, making the side that consistently stayed empty into her new home. A wooden crate that sat outside of the dumpster served as a stepping stool for her to climb inside.

Neo looked around to ensure she wasn't being watched before slipping in through a hatch in the side. It was there to likely pour out garbage from an old model of dump truck which was no longer in use.

The tri-colored girl sat down in her small shelter, lighting it up with a flashlight. The interior of the dumpster didn't hold many things. There was a small purse full of money that she'd collected through thievery as well a few newspaper clippings with pictures of Weiss and Macht taped to the side.

Neo was glad that Weiss had been saved, but was curious as to why Macht hadn't come for her. Was he too late? Couldn't he find her? The girl frowned, trying to push down her resentment. She couldn't be angry at the boy. He'd tried his best, she was sure of it.

The girl decided to push away the thoughts, instead focusing on making herself a sandwich. She had some leftover cheese and tomatoes she's stolen the day before, so she could make something decent.

Stealing had come surprisingly easily to Neo. All it took was a wave of the hand, and people seemed to ignore her completely. She had also noticed that after a while, people would completely look over her, even after seeing her a second time. It was confusing, to say the least, but she could live with it.

Maybe there was something going on with her. She remembered people talking a lot about Semblances when she lived with the Schnees, but couldn't remember if being ignored was something like that. Even still, it was useful to know she could get away with things.

Lunch was a quick and easy affair. Neo never took more time then she needed to eat. Not since she'd been interrupted once by a murder outside of her dumpster and had to intervene. She'd made off with two wallets that day. That weekend she actually ate food she'd bought.

The girl cleaned herself up and left her abode, hoping to find something else to do for the day. Any kind of information or money she could grab would go to clothes and making her way back home. Maybe, if she were lucky, she could afford a day at a hotel to wash the dirt and grime from herself.

The young girl wandered the streets, heading towards the border outside of the shady part of the city. There, she'd be a little bit safer but not completely out of place looking around. Her eyes darted from left to right as she let herself look for any unsuspecting schmucks to steal from. She didn't notice the boy running towards her, laughing and holding a toy Bullhead over him.

The boy slammed into her, making them both tumble to the ground. "A-Ah! Sorry!" The kid apologized, quickly trying to move away from the girl he'd ran into. He had messy blonde hair and deep blue eyes, much like the ocean. Neo winced, gritting her teeth as she looked up at her assailant.

"Jaune Arc, you be careful!" The voice of a woman shouted, making the boy flinch. "Honestly, you should watch where you're going. Jaune, apologize to the girl right this-" Neo found herself looking up at a beautiful blonde woman. She was definitely tall, and also definitely pregnant. Her eyes were green, unlike her son's, and she held an air of power to her despite the modesty of her clothing. She wasn't just a mom. She was a mother.

"S-Sorry," Jaune apologized to the girl again, despite having just done so. He didn't even seem to notice. "Are you ok?" Neo nodded slowly as the boy offered her his hand. The girl quickly accepted it. Despite his small size, the boy was pretty strong as he lifted her to her feet.

"I'm sorry about that," the woman smiled at Neo. "You poor thing, do you have a home at all?" It wasn't a question asked out of cruelty. She seemed genuinely concerned. After a few weeks on the streets, Neo had to admit that she missed the feeling. The girl shook her head. "Oh, you must be scared senseless. Here, come with me. Jaune, go to your father and let him know I won't be back to the hotel for another hour or so, alright?"

"Yes mom," Jaune quickly took off, only sparing Neo a quick glance before he rounded a corner. The woman knelt down in front of Neo, quickly licking her thumb before using the digit to wipe away some dirt that must have gotten itself on her face.

"How long have you been out here...?" She waited for a name. Neo mouthed her name. "Meo? No, Neo. Neo?" The girl nodded and then held up two fingers. "Two years?" Neo spread her arms wide and then brought them together slightly. "Months? Weeks?" Neo nodded once more. The woman sighed and stood up again. "Can you speak, Neo?" The tri-colored girl quickly shook her head as the woman offered her hand out.

"My name is Juniper," she introduced herself "Juniper Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue and the men seem to love it." The blonde giggled into her hand, something Neo mirrored. "I'm sorry; my husband says something similar and I wanted to try it. Why don't we get you some new clothes and something to eat, how does that sound?"

Neo quickly nodded, curious to the woman's generosity but not overly suspicious. Perhaps if she didn't have that boy with her, before, but she seemed to be a good person. Neo quickly followed the woman as she walked with authority, one hand holding Neo's and the other resting on her grown stomach.

Juniper was very slender, Neo noticed. Much like herself, Juniper had a small body despite her height. She walked with an easy grace, something the girl had often seen in Mrs. Schnee and Winter. Someone who was or had once been a Huntress. Neo decided to ask and gently tugged on the blonde woman's hand. "Yes?"

Neo made a motion of swinging a sword and shooting a gun with her other hand before pointing towards the Arc Matron. It took her a moment to decipher what the girl was trying to convey. "Oh, was I ever a Huntress?" A nod. "Yes, a few years ago. I met my husband on a mission with my team and settled down about five years ago after having my first child." Neo tilted her head, looking at the lovely ring on the hand she was holding.

"He was a farmer. Big, strong, and chauvinistic. He and I argued frequently during that mission before I saved him from a Boarbatusk, a type of Grimm," Juniper smiled contently, and Neo could see the love in her eyes. It was very different than how Mr. And Mrs. Schnee looked at one another. "He told me that night that he admired my strength and asked me to marry him. It was so awkward and weird, but it was cute. I accepted his proposal then and there."

Neo smiled, enjoying the short story. She inwardly wondered if, at some point, she'd ever meet someone as special and get married. The thought lasted less than a moment, though. Juniper led the girl into a small café on the street. Neo caught the name on the glass. Savory Sensations. Neo knew the place, of course. It was a top-of-the-line café that was known for having just about anything you could want.

It was also incredibly expensive. Juniper's eyes held a glint of amusement in them as she watched the girl's reaction. "My family is pretty well known in Hunter circles," Juniper smiled as she explained herself. "The Arc name might not be as worldly known as, say the Schnee; but we do have quite a bit of money from our ancestor's deeds." Neo was awestruck.

The woman smiled as she stepped up to the host stand and requested a table for two. The hostess gave Neo a cautious look, but didn't argue at all about it. Juniper led Neo to a small booth to the side of the café, sitting the girl across from her. They sat in silence for a while before the blonde finally spoke. "You're very pretty, Neo."

The girl immediately flushed at the words and shook her head, pouting. "I mean it, you're very pretty. I haven't the foggiest idea why any set of parents would let someone like you wander the streets." Neo looked down at her hands and frowned. "Do you know who your parents are?" The girl quickly shook her head. "That's a shame. Where have you been staying, then, if you've only been on your own for two weeks?"

Neo's face contorted a bit as she tried to think on how to explain her situation. She snapped her fingers and mimed the action of writing with something. Juniper quickly got the hint and reached into her purse, pulling out a pen, handing it to the girl. Neo blinked before grabbing the paper placemat that rested in front of her. The front was an advertisement for food that looked amazing, but Neo needed to focus. She didn't know how to read or write, but she knew how to draw.

The family crest of the Schnee family quickly became scribbled on the paper. Juniper's eyes widened. "The Schnee?" She whispered, not wanting to draw unneeded attention to herself or the girl. "You're saying you stayed with them?" Neo quickly nodded before attempting to write a word. "M-Mayed? Made? Maid," Juniper pieced together. "You were one of their maids."

Neo nodded once more. "Then how did you come all the way here to Vale? Don't the Schnee live in Atlas?" Neo frowned and drew a very simple insignia. One that Juniper recognized. "I see. Well now that I know this, I can pay to have you on a Bullhead back to Atlas. How does that sound?" Neo grinned and eagerly nodded her head. "Wonderful! Now, how about we have some food to celebrate the occasion?" Neo was inclined to agree.

The meal itself was wonderful. It was filling, delicious, and ended off with a large icecream sundae. All in all, Neo considered it near perfect. While nothing could compare to Aesir's cooking, the café had come at a close second. Juniper was slowly starting to adjust to Neo's lack of speech, and it was nice for the girl to have someone to talk to again. "There's a few clothing stores over this way," Juniper led the girl.

It didn't take them long to make it to the store. Inside was full of clothing that Neo could not see over. The brands were definitely not designer, but she couldn't afford to be picky. Not when Juniper was being so generous to her. The girl instead looked around, with the blonde woman slowly following her. For a moment, Neo wondered if this was what it was like to have a mother.

"I think you'd look wonderful in this, dear," Juniper held up a white, long-sleeved jacket with a pink interior. It was just her size as well. "It matches your hair and your eyes, I think." Neo looked over the article of clothing and nodded, liking the woman's fashion sense. "Good. Why don't you hold onto it for now while we keep looking?" Neo nodded, taking the jacket in her hands and holding it close.

The two spent a few more minutes shopping, holding up outfits for Neo to see if they matched or looked good on her. Their shopping trip, however, went interrupted when a gunshot sounded out inside the building. Juniper jumped, looking around. Neo was too small to see over the racks of clothing.

"Everyone move to the middle of the building!" Someone yelled out. "Nice and easy, I wouldn't want to shoot this charming young lady here. Nor anybody else in this crapshoot." Juniper glanced at Neo and mouthed, "Run".

Neo quickly nodded and dashed towards the doors as another gunshot fired. Someone screamed. The girl hugged the article of clothing close to her, not wanting to let it go. It was her only comfort. "Hey! I said nice and easy!" Another gunshot. A hole appeared next to the window that Neo had run towards. She screamed wordlessly, quickly moving towards the door.

"Hey, over here!" She heard Juniper yell. There were more gunshots and shouting, and Neo couldn't help but cry. "Don't look back, Neo! Get to safety!" Neo did as instructed and ran. Alarms sounded inside of the clothing store as she burst out of the door. Panic set in on the girl as people stared at her, attention drawn by the robbery taking place inside.

The homeless girl decided to keep running, wanting as far away from the danger as possible. Tears streamed down her face. She was too weak. She couldn't do anything but run and cry. She wanted to be stronger. The girl fell back as she ran into someone. She looked up, terrified heterochromatic eyes meeting green. A young man in a white suit and a silly hat looked down at her.

"Well, what do we have here?" He asked aloud, crouching down to take a closer look at her. "A little thief, huh? Were you the one that caused all that ruckus over there at that clothes store?" Neo quickly shook her head, unsure of what the orange haired man would do to her.

"Relax, kid," the young man smirked, pulling himself up with a cane. He chuckled. "You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" Neo slowly shook her head. "Well, as it turns out, you and I are in the same boat. From the looks of it, my situation happened a lot more recently. How about you and I team up, huh?" Neo frowned before slowly pointing to herself.

"What's in it for you? Well, don't you know what the right questions are? You just ran from that store 'cause you can't fight, right?" Neo nodded. "Then you've met just the guy to teach you." He offered her his hand. "The name's Roman Torchwick, kid. Former Huntsman and now fugitive, at your service."

Something in his eyes screamed danger. Something about him didn't seem just right. But Neo wasn't sure if she could ever face the Arc family again knowing she'd abandoned Juniper like that. And if Roman was willing to teach her so that kind of thing never happened again?

She'd taken her chances once on a stranger and come out for the best. Relatively, at least. What was another chance? Neo reached up and took the man's hand.

XXXXX

"Shut up!" the girl screamed, slamming her fists against the boy's face over and over again. "Shut up! You don't understand! Nobody gets it!" The boy tried to block off her fists, but she hit hard enough to break through his guard completely. "I hate you!"

"Ruby Rose!" A familiar voice called out across the playground, stopping all activity. Ruby froze, not taking another swing at the boy, but her fists were clenched tight with anger. Her entire body shook, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of hatred she felt. "Miss Rose. I'd like to see you in my office."

"I don't care," Ruby's voice shook as she spat out those three words. A single hand gripped her shoulder. She made a move to swing at the man, but his other hand blocked her strike with ease. "Get away from me!"

"Miss Rose. My office." The dusty haired man spoke with a firm voice. "Now." With that, the man released her from his grip and turned around. Ruby, though, felt even more heat rush to her cheeks from the anger and embarrassment that she felt. The girl gave her victim one last glare before stalking off after the principal. On the way, her eyes briefly met the lavender eyes of her older sister. Ruby sneered at her.

The blonde smiled sadly at her sister, not saying a word as she continued to watch her back as she walked inside. "Rubaby," she mumbled under her breath, tears forming in her eyes.

Ruby kept her fists clenched as she walked down the hall of her school. Why was she being sent to the principal's office? He started it! He was talking bad about her mom! He was being a big stupid poopy butthead! It wasn't her fault. Why could he just die!?

The young girl stood outside the massive door before making her way in. She shut it behind her, as she'd done for the last week. Her rear end found the chair in front of his desk, already pulled out. On his desk sat a metallic nameplate with the name "Looker Greyson" on it. The forty year old man was currently typing something on his computer. Probably an email to her dad.

Not that he'd look at it.

"Miss Rose," Looker spoke, typing a couple more keys before ending whatever he was doing. He focused on the girl sitting in front of him. There was a terse silence between the two for a few agonizing seconds. "This is the tenth time you've been to my office in the last two weeks. Something has to change, here."

"I don't care."

"Ruby Rose-"

"I didn't even start it this time!"

"Ruby-"

"I don't care! I hate you!"

A fist slammed down on Looker's desk, making the girl jump. "You will not take that tone of voice with me, young lady!" The principle's gaze was intense. He was at his last straw. While shocked, the girl quickly returned the glare on her face. "Disrupting classrooms, beating up students, arguing with your teachers," the man sighed. "This has to stop."

"You'll have to kill me."

"Ruby Rose!"

"You're not my dad!"

"Qrow!" The door slammed open and a loud groan came from the man who entered. Looker's eye was twitching with barely restrained irritation. "You and your uncle will be having words, Ruby." Ruby scoffed and looked away from the both of them. "And Qrow, put that damn flask away. You're in a school."

"Yeah, whatever old man," the Huntsman grumbled as Looker stood. "Get outta here. I'll handle the brat." Looker frowned, but quickly made his way out of the office. He needed a cup of tea. Qrow looked down at his niece as he sat on the desk. The little girl was still avoiding eye contact, but was grasping at the edges of her cape. The cape that Summer had made for her. She was scared.

"Kid," Qrow drawled, already buzzed. He frowned as Ruby tried to keep avoiding eye contact. "Ruby. You gotta look at me, ya know."

"No I don't," the girl grumbled under her breath. She didn't want to yell at or face the man that had been feeding her for the last couple of weeks.

"Ah, some words," Qrow chuckled. "Finally, we're getting somewhere." Ruby said nothing, emphasizing her silence. "Listen, kid. You mom ain't coming back. She's gone."

"No she's not!" Ruby shouted. "She's still out there and you left her!" The brunette took a deep breath. "What do you know!? You never cared about her!"

"I watched as one of my best friends, my team leader died right in front of me!" Qrow shot back, tears pooling up in his eyes. "She sacrificed herself, Ruby! Her body turned to ashes right in front of my face!" The man's fists clenched. For a moment, Ruby was afraid he'd hit her. Slowly, Qrow took deep breaths and calmed himself just enough to regain his senses. "Summer died a hero, Ruby. She let everyone else escape at the cost of her own life. The rest of us owe her everything."

Ruby was silent as the words stopped. Tears fell down her cheeks. She wanted to scream and protest, but part of her just knew that her mom was dead. She wasn't coming back. "It hurts," she whimpered, curling up into a fetal position in her chair. "Why'd she have to do it?"

"Because she loved her friends, kiddo," Qrow spoke slowly, wiping away his own tears. He kneeled down in front of his niece and took her shoulder. "You're not the only one who's hurting. I am. Your dad is. Your sister is. Hell, your principal is. People you've never even met are hurt by your mom dying." Qrow watched as Ruby seemed to absorb his words. She was listening. "You don't think your dad and I tried to find some other way? Tried to get her to do something else?"

"We did," Qrow sighed. "But there was nothing else. She knew that if she didn't do anything, then everyone there would die. Not just her, but me and your dad, too." The older man wasn't sure just how much was getting through to Ruby's mind, but she wasn't screaming and yelling like before.

"'M sorry," the girl mumbled. Qrow's firm expression softened. It was progress, at the very least. "What... What happened to mom?" The older man took a deep breath before he sighed. He knew that question would pop up eventually. He wasn't sure if he was ready to answer her.

"Your mom..." He trailed off, looking at the door behind her. His hand reached up to run fingers through his own hair, trying to think of just how much to tell the girl. "She was pretty brave, you know. There had to have been thousands of monsters around us, boxing us in. Maybe only thirty of us against an entire army of the things."

"While our two leaders tried to sort out a plan, your mom just looked at us and told us that it was time for her to go." Ruby looked down at her own hands before looking up at her uncle's face. Their eyes met. "She was pretty cool, Ruby."

"My mom's the coolest," the mumbled. Qrow slowly nodded, letting his eyes close and rest for a moment.

"Yeah, she sure is," the man agreed. "Anyway, she looked at that army of monsters and without a hint of fear told the rest of us to run for it. Her eyes shut, and then it was like she caught fire." Ruby gasped.

"Was she ok? What happened?"

"I'm getting to that, pipsqueak," the Branwen chuckled, shaking his head at her sudden interest. Maybe. Just maybe they had a way to draw the girl back into the family. "Like I was saying; it was like she was on fire, but it didn't seem to hurt her none. In fact, she even felt stronger than she did before. Her gold eyes were even more golden, and she looked just like a superhero; red cape and all."

"Wow," Ruby's eyes were wide with wonder.

"Yeah, wow," an easy smile spread across Qrow's face. "She was probably the strongest person there. Then, in a flash, she disappeared and a wide path through those monsters appeared with her on the other side."

"She did that!?"

"Yeah, yeah she did. Your mom told us to get running, and so we did. She kept an entire army away from us while we escaped. It was like having two red walls on either side of us. She was that fast."

"You mean like me?"

"No, your mom was even faster."

"Wow."

"Yeah, definitely wow. When we finally got away we were climbing up the side of a crater. That was when your mom summoned a giant beast. With just a roar, it was able to destroy everything around it." That was when confusion set itself on Ruby's face.

"She could suh-summon something that powerful? How come she never did that before?"

"Probably... because it would mean she was gonna die," Qrow admitted. "That was the last thing she did. We tried going back for her, but there was nothing left. No monsters. No mountain range. No crater. No... No Summer." The older man sighed. "Your mom really was really cool, ya know that, brat?"

"Yeah," Ruby seemed to have calmed down a little as the story came to an end. "I want to be just like mom."

"You want to be a Huntress?" Qrow already knew as such. She was going to school at Signal Academy, for Remnant's sake. Still, he'd never seen so much conviction on her face before.

"I wanna be a hero, just like mom!" A flash of pain went through Qrow's heart at those words. "I'm gonna be a super cool Huntress that can do anything!"

"W-Well, maybe not just like her," the man tried, but Ruby was too engrossed in her own world. The Branwen sighed. He didn't want her to end up just like her mom. He wanted his niece to live. After a moment of thought, an idea formed in his mind. Someday she'd have to be on her own, but that didn't mean he couldn't prepare her for it. "Say, kid?"

"Hm?" Ruby looked to her uncle as he drew his sword from his back.

"How about I teach ya how to fight and all that junk?" Qrow offered, turning his sword into its scythe form. He gave her a grin, handing her the pole. Ruby's eyes went wide with wonder as she held the weapon. For about a second, until its weight dragged her to the floor. "Heh, looks like we got a lot of work to do."

XXXXX

The blonde haired boy sighed as he walked through the streets of Vale. After his mom had gotten back to the hotel, he'd wanted to really get out of the building. His dad and sisters were focused on his mom's health, but Jaune hadn't really gotten to have any vacation. It was all one thing after another with his family.

The boy had promised his dad that he would stay close to the hotel so he could go outside alone. The robbery was a one-time thing, after all. Still, his father wanted to keep Jaune close under observation just in case. The blonde boy sighed, kicking his foot against the concrete sidewalk. He looked at the stores around him, wanting to bring something back to his friends in Ansel. Maybe even find a way to get his mom to train him.

The young Arc wanted to be a Huntsman more than anything. His mother always told him stories about the heroes in the Arc family line, and even those that his dad had on his side. If they could do it, then why couldn't Jaune? He wasn't all that weak, and he knew all about what it took to be a hero. Bravery. Determination. Confidence. All of that good stuff. It was just a shame that Jaune really didn't have any of those. He was average. He hid from fights and let his older sisters handle things for him.

Still, he meant well. He wanted nothing more than to someday stand at the top with a loving wife, a sword and shield in hand, and something like eight kids. Just like in the stories. "That would be so cool," he mumbled to himself. Jaune was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the heavy footsteps running towards him from behind. He ended up shoved to the side as someone ran past. The assailant stumbled, but kept running.

It was a girl with lime green hair and darker skin. He hadn't really gotten a good look at her, but she must have been in a hurry. Jaune stood up again, not believing his luck that he'd been knocked to the ground for the second time that day.

"Move it, brat!" Someone growled behind him. The person barreled into him, shoving him to the side once more.

"Oh, come on!" The blonde whined. Today just wasn't his day! Jaune sighed, having had enough with his terrible luck. He decided to chase after the rather muscled man that had tossed him aside so rudely to give them a piece of his mind. He wasn't all that fast, but thankfully the man had run down a nearby alley.

"Please, you don't have to do this," a girl spoke from the alley. When Jaune finally arrived, he found himself at a strange scene. The man from before was cornering the girl that had run into him a few minutes earlier. A good look at her revealed red, scared eyes and torn clothing. Just like the girl he'd run into earlier that day. Was she homeless, too?

"Gimme back my damn wallet and maybe I'll let you off with a black eye," the man growled, taking another step towards the girl. "Fuckin' little street rat. I'll make sure you never steal again!"

"H-Hey!" Jaune shouted, getting the attention of both people. "You, uh. You sh-shouldn't be mean to girls like that!" The man visibly sighed.

"Look, you stupid kid," he started. "That little bitch stole my wallet! Get out of the way or-"

"Well, why not ask her to give it back?" The blonde asked. The man furrowed his eyebrows. "You still shouldn't h-hurt girls. Right?" The man seemed to be trying to keep himself calm while the girl was perplexed. Why was the boy trying to help her? His eyes met hers. "You'll give it back, right? I mean, he caught you and if he hurts you, you won't get to have the money anyway. All you'll get is hurt."

The boy made a good point, but if she could make it off with a single Lien, then it would be worth it. The boy seemed to see this. "L-Listen," Jaune tried a different approach, "if you give the man his wallet back, I'll give you some money. How about that?" The girl couldn't believe her ears. Was he really being serious? "Does that sound fair? I'll... I'll even go and get food for you. And new clothes too, maybe?"

That was what his mom had done, right? Surely he could do the same. His heart was racing a mile a minute, but he could definitely do this. Right? The girl pondered the choice in front of her. It had to be too good to be true. That kid couldn't possibly have that kind of money.

"I'd take the offer if I was you, you little brat," the man joined in, giving her a firm look. He sighed. "Alright, if you give me my wallet back... I'll even give you twenty Lien. You can use that to get food or something, alright?" It wasn't much of a loss to the man. Twenty was definitely better than losing two hundred.

The girl looked at the wallet in her hands again, then at the boy and man looking at her. She closed her eyes and swallowed before slowly holding out the wallet. The man didn't make any sudden moves and didn't look like he was going to hurt her. Still, looks were deceiving. The girl didn't relax until the wallet was in the other man's hand. He opened it and pulled out a green Lien card. Twenty, as promised. He handed it to the girl.

"You got off lucky this time, brat," he told her. "You better not make the mistake of stealing from me again. Understand?

"Y-Yes sir," she mumbled. The man left, leaving only the boy in front of her. He was probably her age, and he had a wide smile on his face. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, um," the boy stammered, "just- you did the right thing. So," he trailed off, "anyplace you wanna eat?" The girl cocked an eyebrow. Was he for real? The boy held out his hand. "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it." The girl was speechless. Here was this boy who just saved her a beating, got her twenty Lien out of the deal, and was now offering to take her to dinner. She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"W-What are you?" She asked between bouts of laughter. "Just- Just what are you and how are you so funny?"

"A-Ah, funny?" The girl smiled at him. It was a genuine smile. The boy was so innocent that she couldn't help but let down her guard with him. She was going to trust him.

"My name is Emerald," she told him, taking his hand and shaking it. She blinked in surprise when he gripped her hand and kissed the back of it like some cheesy fairy tale hero.

"Well Emerald, where can I take a pretty girl like you to eat?"

"Why are you acting like that?" She asked. Jaune's smile faltered.

"Excuse me?"

Emerald wasn't having any of it. "That whole mask," she pointed out. She was an expert at seeing them. "Why are you acting like that? It's really weird."

"W-Well my dad said that all a girl looks for in a man is confidence," Jaune muttered, looking down at his feet. "Is it weird? I-I mean, I can try again so if-"

"Hey, Jaune?" Emerald spoke up, taking the boy's cheek in her hand. "You don't have to act all weird, ok? You're really nice on your own, confident or not." A flush spread itself across the boy's cheek at the contact and the girl's words. "I know a place with good food a block over. Do you have enough money for it?"

"Y-Yeah," the boy nodded quickly as Emerald removed her hand. "Just show me where and I'll provide your meal, miss!" The mind haired girl smiled and rolled her eyes. Today was going to be a good day that she'd never forget. The two walked on with Emerald leading Jaune by the arm. He talked almost constantly about his family and his home, but Emerald didn't really mind. He was nice, so she could at least listen to him a little bit.

"This is it," Emerald almost seemed to sigh as she spoke, standing in front of a decent looking restaurant. "The Flavors of Vacuo." Jaune's eyes were wide at the name.

"W-Wow, that sounds really expensive," he muttered aloud. "I mean, Vacuo is a whole other kingdom, isn't it?"

"It's really not that expensive," the girl sighed. "It's like, comfort food from Vacuo. Stuff people eat at home. I was born there. At least, as far as I can tell."

"Really? Then how did you end up here?" Jaune asked. Emerald stopped to consider the boy's question before she dragged him inside. "Emerald?"

"L-Let's just get something to eat, ok?" She asked him. The inside had a homey feel, with warm colored wallpaper and a relaxed feel to it. Families and friends sat inside, talking about all manners of things. Jaune had never been to the place before. In fact, he'd never seen it in any previous trips.

"Can I help you?" The host at the stand eyed the two children in front of him. It was almost cute to the teen, seeing the girl dragging in the little boy like they were on a date.

"Oh, um... we'd like a table, please?" Jaune asked, trying his best to take charge. Emerald was hiding behind him, trying to hide the tears on her clothes. The young man in front of him cocked an eyebrow.

"Do you guys have parents coming?" He asked. He wasn't sure if he could really seat them or not.

"No," Jaune shook his head, "but I have money for food." The blonde searched his pockets and pulled out a single red one-hundred Lien card. The host's eyes widened. "Will this be enough?"

"Uh, let me go and get my manager really quick," the young man raised a finger, heading into the restaurant. Jaune and Emerald met eyes for a moment before sharing a shrug. After a minute, an older, portly man arrived being led by the host from before.

"Ah-ha, I see," the man a bald head and strong jawline as well as massive hands that could probably crush a man's head. "You are little children looking to eat, yes?" He spoke with a thick accent. "I am manager of place. It will be me that helps you, ok?" He was a bear of a man, easily four times as tall as Jaune.

"Um, thanks," the boy smiled nervously. The man was dressed in a pair of work slacks and a red shirt with a nametag on it, but Jaune couldn't read it.

"Is no problem, little man," the manager spoke. "My name Mikhail, but you call me Misha, da?" Jaune and Emerald both nodded. The man spoke slowly so it was easier to understand him through his accent. "Please, this way." Misha led the two further into the building and sat them at a booth in the corner. He frowned, however, noticing that the two could only just see over the top of the table while sitting. "You wait here. Misha will grab you books to sit." The bald man disappeared into a nearby door.

"He talks really funny," Jaune smiled, glancing at his new friend. Emerald nodded, sharing in his amusement. "Where do you think he's from?" The two seven year olds thought for a moment.

"Maybe he's from Vacuo?" Emerald guessed. "A lot of it is desert, so I don't know if there's places where they talk like that?"

"I am from Vacuo," Jaune tried his best to mimic the accent. "I make good food. I open restaurant in Vale and make much money!" Emerald smiled and laughed slightly at Jaune's silliness. "These two kids, they remind me of home! Especially little girl."

"S-Stop!" Emerald tried to speak while laughing. "You sound just like him!" Around the corner, Misha smiled at the two children laughed. He noticed how badly dressed the girl was, and decided that a bit of laughter for her would be good, even if it was at his own expense.

"I have come with books for sitting," after about a minute he revealed himself, holding two phonebooks. He set them on the booths and both children sat on them, adding another foot so they could properly sit up to the table. "Yes, you have menus. Anything to drink? Misha will provide on house." Jaune seemed confused, but Emerald's eyes were wide.

"Th-Thank you," she stammered. The large man winked at her and kept a warm smile on his face. "I'd like uh... Um..." Misha nodded slowly in understanding.

"Girl like you needs good drink," he told her. "I will bring surprise. And for boy?"

"Just a cola, please," Jaune added, giving the man a happy grin. Misha disappeared once more. "Hey Em? What did he mean by drinks on a house?"

"It means he'll give them to us for free," she explained, smiling. Tears welled up in her eyes. "He's being... very generous."

"Wow," Jaune smiled when the manager returned with a cola for Jaune and what looked like a berry smoothie for Emerald. "Thanks a lot, mister Misha!"

"Oh ho ho!" The man grinned and laughed jovially. "Is not problem, little man! Little children should not go hungry, yes? I always happy to help." The man grinned and looked between the two. "What food would you like?" Emerald blushed, biting her bottom lip. There was one thing that she couldn't do, and that was read very well. She'd managed to piece together a lot of things on her own, but sometimes she still had trouble.

"I'll take a cheeseburger and fries," Jaune asked quickly, getting an amused smile from the manager who nodded before turning to Emerald. "Em?"

"Uh, well," Emerald stammered. she motioned for the manager to lean in closer, which he did. She whispered in his ear and the man nodded slowly. "C-Can you make that?"

"Is not on menu," the man hummed in thought. "But I remember how to make. It might take longer. Is ok?"

"Y-Yes, that's fine," the girl smiled brightly towards Misha. He chuckled before heading into the kitchen. Conversation between the two children returned, with Jaune once more directing most of the flow. It was unintentional, but Emerald didn't mind. There wasn't much about her she could or wanted to talk about, and her new friend had a nice voice. At the very least, she thought so.

"Food is come!" Misha interrupted the two several minutes later. Jaune had his burger and fries, and Emerald had a dish that looked like a sandwich covered in gravy. "I have gravy pork sandwich for little girl. Good and filling."

"Thank you," tears pooled up in Emerald's face as the large sandwich was placed in front of her. "Thank you so much Mr. Misha."

"Is no problem," the man grinned. "Your food is no charge. I take care of little friends, da?" The waterworks came freely as Emerald cried tears of joy. Misha sat down beside the girl and gave her a hug as Jaune tried to look anywhere else, knowing this was a moment intimate between the big man and his newest friend. "One time a week I can make foods for you," Misha spoke lowly to the girl. "Not do every day or I lose business. Not good for both of us. But one a week? Is fine."

"I can't thank y-you enough," Emerald sobbed. For so long she'd stood outside the door of the restaurant, too afraid to go in without money. She'd never steal enough to afford the cost and was always fearful of being arrested if she went in alone. She'd loved the scraps they'd throw out at the end of the night and had wanted to go there properly for a long time. Now, knowing that the manager was such a kind man... "Thank you."

Misha slowly stood and spoke up, "I know pain of no home." He explained himself simply. "Of being little man and nothing to eat. I will help you some." He then glanced towards Jaune before walking away. "If you need anything, tell me!" The two children watched the big man walk away before they shared a smile. Eagerly, they ate in the company of a lifelong friend.

The two enjoyed their evening, but soon it was time for them to part ways. Jaune stood with Emerald in front of his hotel, with the girl holding his hand. "I'll see you again, right?" She asked. Her cheeks were flushed. The boy in front of her had been kind to her and given her a new chance at living. At least, he'd made it possible for her to live a little better.

"Of course!" Jaune grinned. "Sorry I can't take you shopping for clothes, but I'll do it tomorrow, ok? Just meet me here at like noon and we can go. We can even bring my sisters; they'd love you!"

"R-Really?" Emerald asked, a bit nervous at the prospect. "You'd really like to see me again?" Jaune nodded, his heart beating fast for some reason. "I'd really like to see you again. Tomorrow would be great."

"Ok, well I'll see you then, ok?" Jaune slowly let his hand fall from hers, though he really didn't want to. She was a really nice girl, and one of his few friends.

"Wait," Emerald called out just as he'd turned around. Jaune blinked, looking towards the girl again to see what she wanted. Before he could turn all the way, though, he felt something warm and soft press against his cheek. It took a moment for him to realize just what it was. Jaune's cheeks heated up. "Thank you. For everything."

"Y-Yeah," the Arc grinned and took a step back. He didn't want his parents to get worried about him. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Tomorrow, right," Emerald nodded once to confirm it. "See you." She waved to her new friend before taking off into the night. She wanted to get to her alley before it got dangerous.

Jaune walked inside the hotel, a happy smile on his face. He hadn't expected helping someone to be so invigorating or rewarding. He really liked Emerald, and hoped that he could convince one of his family members to go shopping with him tomorrow. He didn't know how to pick out clothes for girls. He came to a stop, though, when he saw his eldest sister in the lobby. Her green eyes met his blue, and she walked towards him quickly.

"Where have you been!?" She scolded him.

"J-Jasmine?" Jaune stammered. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"Mom just went to the hospital! She's giving birth! Come on!"

"But-" Jaune was led away from the hotel, hoping he could at least see Emerald another time to explain what had happened.

The next day, a mint haired girl waited in front of a hotel, hoping to see her new best friend again. She waited from lunchtime all the way until the street-lights came on. Still, there was no sign of the blonde haired boy that had filled her dreams the night before. Tears fell from her face as she slowly walked back into the night, dropping to the ground a bunch of lush flowers that she'd bought earlier that day with the twenty Lien the man he'd saved her from had given her.

XXXXX

A/N: I honestly didn't plan that ending for the chapter. I took a good five minutes just re-reading that last paragraph in my head and my heart broke for Emerald! Why must I be a horrible human being!? Anyway, this is the last of a cluster of chapters I wrote for this story in a single week. As you can see, there's some very noticeable changes that might not come into play until later on, but I'm loving this way of setup. Also, I plan on re-booting Reincarnation is Troublesome with a very similar writing style as well as way of story-telling.

I love RWBY and have been planning this story for about three or four years, only just now confident in my skill to really write it. It was that first chapter that always gave me the most difficulty since I wanted to write out the entire scene in which Summer dies, but I figured having it be something of a mystery that could be misinterpreted in any number of ways would be much more fun. I also wanted to see if they would introduce any more characters.

So far I'm kinda disappointed in the way RWBY has been going as of season five, but I do intend to make some characters more important and avoid the "frozen action" issue the series has right now. Also, I added in characters from two other fandoms so far, and will probably add more if I think I can fit them. If you can name them, you get an internet cookie!

Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you thought. I'm always looking for ways to improve. If you enjoyed, it then please also let me know! Stroke this senpai's ego just a bit.

Laters!


	4. Innocence Arc - Convictions

Innocence Arc – Convictions

XXXXX

Slash. Slash. Swing. Parry. Block. Parry. Stab. The rhythm of the battle before her filled her mind, calculations running in her head to most effectively take down her opponent, an older boy who was around three years her senior. Still, the girl received hardly a scratch. The nine year old redhead narrowed her eyes as the boy attempted to weave around her strikes, using a surprising amount of flexibility to attempt to throw her off balance.

No words were spoken, not when she was doing her best to focus both on offense and defense, and the boy before her was trying to not immediately be knocked away by her sheer skill. Swing. Block. Parry. Block. Duck. Swing. The dance went on with the only sounds filling the field being the clash of metal on metal.

Pyrrha had to admit that the new weapons the professor had given her were much less burdensome than the last set. It was lighter, and had smoother edges that allowed her to grip them nearly anywhere. She was currently using the sword and shield functions of them, but was switching from the sword to spear and back at random intervals.

Thrust. Swing. Block. Switch. Stab. Parry. Switch. Thrust. Strike. One of the boy's daggers flew out of his hand as she struck it with her shield. Her opponent attempted to recover, but the disarming and initial stun of her attack had done its job. She was too quick for him to recover and in hardly a second she was within his guard.

The nine year old rested the tip of her spear against his throat, and her other arm wrapped around him to keep him from escaping. Had the weapons not been in the picture, it may have come across as an intimate embrace. "That's the match!" The proctor standing to the side of the ring called out. "The winner is Pyrrha Nikos!" The redhead smiled nervously to her audience, fellow classmates and first years. Normally, first years like her were excluded from combat practice and focused more on basic education.

Pyrrha, however, had been a special case. The professor, Orochimaru, had asked her to specifically be included in combat classes and had even taken the time to train her once or twice in the last two years. The girl didn't know much about the slippery man, just that he was supposedly very old despite his youthful face, and he was one of the world's leading scientists in the study of technology and Aura.

As such, Pyrrha had never expected the man to be such a powerful opponent. Orochimaru far outclassed her in every way, despite holding back most of the time. He was in a league all his own. That being said, he often cheated by using object and weapons of his own creation; unconventional machinery that allowed him to manipulate the elements through Dust into seamless combat.

"Thank you for the fight," Pyrrha smiled at her opponent as the dome surrounding them came down. The boy scowled at her, making her heart ache. Still, she kept the smile upon her face. "You did great."

"I'll kick your butt next time," was the response she was given. Her expression faltered slightly at those words, and she noticed the murmur from the rest of her class.

"Can anyone even beat her?"

"She's crazy strong. I'd hate to fight her."

"It's like she's a robot made to fight, or something."

Pyrrha gave the proctor a strained smile. "May I be excused?" She asked, wanting to leave the classroom as soon as possible. The amount of scrutiny being sent towards her made her uncomfortable. The proctor, not even looking up from his scroll, nodded once before calling up another pair of names who would fight next. The spartan woman quickly left towards the locker rooms to remove her armor and store her weapons.

On the way, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. She turned around and saw a dark haired girl with crystal eyes and a silver crescent moon tattoo that wrapped around the outside of her left eye. "Selene," Pyrrha smiled, greeting her only friend. "I take it you saw my match?" The older girl rolled her eyes and nodded.

"If you could call it that," Selene laughed, walking alongside the redhead. "You had him on the ropes the entire time. Everyone knew you'd beat him." Selene stretched, unintentionally drawing attention to her generous bust from the boys nearby. The fact that her shirt cut off right below her chest probably didn't help the fact. The young woman was in her final year at Sanctum, and would be moving on to Haven after the end of the year.

"Please, I'm sure I wasn't that good," the redhead flushed at the praise. "He had a fair chance of beating me. He got close, too."

"Except for your Semblance," the teen pointed out. "Seriously, you're overpowered as fu- all heck. You'll probably even beat me, someday."

"I really doubt that, two-time champion," Pyyrha smiled as the entered the girl's locker rooms. "I wish I could be even half as strong as you. Your Semblance is amazing, too." The teen rolled her eyes, making tugging motions with her fingers as if pulling strings that were wrapped around them. For an instant, Pyrrha saw the silver proof of her friend's Semblance.

"It's nothing special," Selene shrugged. "Making strings out of Aura is ok, but I doubt I can do much more than swing them around."

"And the fact that they're super sharp?" The younger girl insisted. Selene rolled her eyes once more, smiling at the thought. "So sharp that you're not allowed to use them in class?"

"Yeah, well, he should have had his Aura up," Selene grinned at the memory of her Semblance's banning. "It's not my fault he thought that I was weak cause I'm a girl. Hn, I can be pretty tough." Pyrrha giggled into her hand as she started to undress.

"I'm sure you'll do very well in Haven," she complimented her friend. "Hopefully they'll let you use your Semblance, there. It wouldn't be fair to limit you because of how well you can use it."

"Yeah, well, they better," Selene spoke with a superior attitude. "Or else maybe I'll just tear up the place! You know, leave my mark wherever I want." Pyrrha smiled as she placed her armor into her locker, rummaging through it for her school uniform. "So, are you gonna come to Haven like me when you graduate from here? It'd be nice to come back and visit you sometimes."

"Maybe," the redhead replied. "I'm thinking of going with whatever comes to mind when I get to it. Let the chips fall where they might, like my mom says." There was silence between the two for a moment. "Selene?"

"What's up, P?"

"How did you manage to become so strong?" The spartan asked her friend. "What is it that drives you? My dad says that everyone strong has a reason to fight, so what's yours?" She looked up from dressing to see a dark look on Selene's face, before it disappeared.

"I just want to get stronger," her friend replied, giving Pyrrha an easy smile. "It doesn't matter what for, I just know I have to keep getting stronger. That good enough an answer for you?" Pyrrha sighed and shook her head. "I thought not. well, how about fighting for stuff you care for?"

"Stuff I care for?" The redhead gave her friend a perplexed expression. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you can start with your family," Selene offered. "When you go into a fight, what do you have in mind? Usually nothing, right?"

"Well, yes," the redhead nodded. "I want to keep my mind clear of distractions and-"

"Bullshit," Selene grinned as Pyrrha stood face to face with her. "When you're going in, you should be thinking about stuff like making your family proud of you. Or something similar." Selene paused and scratched the side of her head. "I think. I don't really know, it was just a suggestion."

"I see," the redhead sighed. "Well, thank you, I guess?" Selene shrugged before wrapping her arm around the younger girl.

"Oh well," she brushed off the mood entirely. "How about you and I get some food? You've got to have worked up an appetite." As if on cue, Pyrrha's stomach grumbled. "Yeah, I called it. Let's go to the cafeteria. Lunch is on me, today."

"Thank you, but why are you paying for my food?" The redhead asked. "You don't usually do that unless something is bothering you." Her friend flinched. "Did you have another argument with your boyfriend?"

"What?" Selene's eyes widened. "No, no, Marco is great. It's just that... Well, do you believe in fate?" Pyrrha blinked at the question, unsure of what exactly her friend meant.

"I'm not sure I get what you're asking?" She returned. "What do you mean by fate?"

"That our lives are predestined," Selene explained. "That we don't have any control about what we do or what happens to us."

"That sounds very depressing," the girl responded, getting a nod from Selene, "but I don't think fate exists that way. I think we all have a choice of what to do with our lives. At least, it's much nicer to think about it that way." Selene seemed to accept that answer, but she didn't seem all that happy about it.

"Thanks, P," she finally spoke after a few seconds of thought. "You're right. Maybe things won't be so bad after all." Pyrrha glanced at her older friend.

"Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine! Just need to sort some things out at home. No problem, really!" Pyrrha was not completely convinced, but she decided to leave the matters alone. She didn't want to upset her only friend.

XXXXX

"Hiyah! Hah! Hyah!" The blonde panted as he swung the stick around, pretending it was a sword. He grunted, hitting the tree with all of his might. The nine year old Arc took a moment to breathe before he started swinging once more, knocking the bark off from the old tree. He'd been practicing for the last year and a half, hoping to somehow increase his skill with a weapon. Unfortunately, the sword his mother used to use was too heavy for him, so he'd settled on a stick from outside.

"Hraaah!" Once more, he swung his stick against the tree. This time, however, the stick cracked and broke in half. "Ah?" The half of the stick that had broken off flew into the forest from the force of the swing. "Ah... darn it..." The nine year old boy looked at the now snapped half of a stick in his hand. He'd been using it for a month, and it seemed sturdy enough to handle his abuse. Apparently, he was wrong.

It had been two years since his last trip to Vale, and two years since he'd had a chance to look for Emerald. He wanted more than anything to explain himself to her, to let her know that he didn't mean to leave her behind. Still, he couldn't do that stuck in Ansel. He needed to be able to travel.

Before, he'd wanted to be a Huntsman only because of the stories told about them. Saving people and getting the girl, he wanted to be able to do that. Now, he wanted to be able to find the friend he'd made and protect her. She was so vulnerable during that day, though some parts were a bit fuzzy in his mind. He remembered going to a restaurant in Vale with her, but couldn't remember the owner's name. All he knew was that it sold food from Vacuo and it sounded expensive.

"Still, what kind of hero gives up?" He asked himself aloud, dropping the stick in his hand. He needed to find another. His heart ached at the thought of Emerald. He wondered if she was ok. He hoped she was still alive. It would be horrible if she'd died before he could find her. The blonde shook off those thoughts from his head, not allowing himself to be so pessimistic. Even still, he didn't want to wish too much. Not if it would lead to being crushed later on.

Calloused hands wrapped around a new, sturdy branch. It was bigger than the one he'd had before, and a little bit heavier. Still, it would work. The young man wiped off the dirt and brush that wrapped around the branch and gripped it with a single hand. It felt off and heavy, but the sword that hung over the fireplace came with a shield, and he'd have to get used to holding something heavy with only one hand.

In a matter of moments, the boy's assault on the tree before him resumed. "Hah! Hiyah!" The sound of wood smacking wood echoed around the boy, filling the forest with noise. He wasn't far from home, but he was far enough that his siblings and parents wouldn't get suspicious. He'd become strong. He'd get the girl. He'd find Emerald again and keep being her friend.

He'd- the sound of foliage snapping and cracking made Jaune freeze. Fear gripped his heart. Monsters weren't supposed to come anywhere near Ansel. The town was a place where Hunters went to retire, so they should have cleared any passing herds or hordes or whatever his teacher had taught him in class. The blonde boy looked around him, looking for any sign of movement.

"HAW!" A voice hissed behind him. Jaune, surprised, jumped and screamed, swinging his stick at whatever had made the voice. The stick quickly came to a stop as it smacked against an outstretched palm, which quickly grabbed the wooden limb. "Whoa, easy there, buddy. What's got you all wound up?" Jaune took a moment to recognize the bald man before him.

"Mr. Conagher?" He asked, not used to seeing the older man out and about. Normally the man was in his shop, selling metal trinkets, weapons, and armor as well as yelling at the stray dog that would come and use his store as a bathroom. "What are you doing out here?"

"Would ya believe me if I told ya that yer folks were lookin' for ya?" The man spoke with a twang in his voice. Dell Conagher had once lived in the southwestern part of the Kingdom of Vale, and his accent showed it. "You've got them mighty worried there, boy. Even asked me an' a few of others to come out lookin' for ya."

"Ah, sorry," Jaune rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed that he'd made them worry so much. Also that he'd been caught. Dell, took the stick from Jaune, weighing it in his hand. "So, I guess I have to head back, right?"

"Naw, you'll be fine out here with me," Dell chuckled and tossed Jaune the branch back. The blonde stumbled with it, but ultimately managed to keep it from hitting the ground. "Show me what you can do, boy."

"Uh, excuse me?"

"Saddle up and show me your swings, Arc!" Dell instructed again, more forcefully this time. Jaune yelped before taking a stance, facing towards the tree. "Hell, I can't rightfully let ya swing if you're gonna stand there like a damn hooker!"

"A-A what, sir?" Jaune blinked in confusion and squealed when the man's hand grabbed his legs. "H-Hey! What are you doing?"

"Left leg here, right leg here," Dell had him stand diagonally in relation to the tree. "Twist your damn torso and get your back out straight! Do I gotta beat some sense into ya, boy?"

"N-No, sir!"

"Then get your shoulders squared up and don't lock your damn knees! Do you want me to come over there and kick ya down?" Jaune quickly did as Deel said, terrified about the sudden change in the man. He'd never been yelled at by the smith and engineer before. After a minute of commands, Dell finally shouted one more. "Now swing, boy!"

"Haaaaaah!"

"That was pathetic. I said swing, not flop your arms like a damn woman!"

"HaaaaAAAAH!"

"Don't make me get that damn dog and have him piss all over ya till you get it right, boy!" Dell growled. "Swing like you damn well mean it!"

"Haaaaaah!" The stick in Jaune's hands snapped at the sheer force of the swing, once more going sailing off into the forest. Dell nodded in approval at the dent in the tree that had been left by Jaune's swing. The boy was panting, mentally and physically worn. He was hunched over as he tried to catch his breath.

"Not bad, son," Dell smirked, offering the boy his hand. "With a bit a' more practice, you could probably even make it into one of them Hunter schools." Dell hummed with thought for a moment before patting Jaune on the back. "Say, how'd ya feel tryin' to shoot a gun, boy?"

"I, uh," Jaune slowly caught his breath. "I'm not really sure about that. Can't I just stick with a sword?" Dell frowned before letting out a sigh.

"There ain't nothin' I can say to change your mind about it?" The smith asked him. "You'd be right fine having a firearm by your side in case ya need it." Jaune thought for a moment before nodding. Dell smiled.

"Teach me," the boy asked. He stood up straight. "Teach me how to fight."

"Now that's the question, ain't it," Dell chuckled. "What exactly would ya be fight'n for, boy? Ya got a reason you want this so badly?"

"I want to be a hero," Jaune spoke easily. "I want to be like those heroes in the stories. I want to travel, too. I made a friend in Vale a while ago and I want to find her."

"Heh, lookin' for a girl, are ya, boy?" Dell teased the blonde. "Well, I ain't too sure if I wanna help you if those're your only goals."

"Then what should I fight for?" Jaune asked, confused. The older man rested his hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"Fight to protect, boy," the engineer told him. "You got a carin' family and some good friends, I'd say. Fight to protect 'em, and all the strength in the world'll be yours."

"Fight to protect?" Jaune looked at his own hand, scratched and calloused as it was. The result of a year and a half of swinging a stick around. "I guess I could do that," he mumbled to himself. After all, it wasn't like he had anything to lose by doing so. Besides, didn't heroes fight to protect their homes, too?

XXXXX

"Mirror, tell me something~" The hauntingly beautiful voice rang across the auditorium, filling it with notes sung from a single girl. The entire room was entranced as the snowy white haired girl filled the room with music. Backstage, however, was a bit more hectic.

"Lights, dim down now," the director of the production instructed through his earpiece. "Orchestra, ready your parts." The young man rolled his eyes as he watched the entire crew act as if they hadn't done this thousands of times before. The proof was in the sleepless nights that Weiss had put him through while practicing, insisting that he be her critic. Not to mention the countless amounts of dress rehearsals that he'd had to attend. At Weiss' insistence, of course. That wasn't even counting the mounting pressure she had by being the relatively new heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.

Tutors, teachers and terrorists of all sorts had entered the Schnee estate ever since he'd been awoken from his slumber. Some with less invitation than others. Each one, however, had to face with Macht before they even got close to Weiss. Some meetings were also more deadly than others. Still, Macht did his duty as best as he could.

The young teenage boy watched the monitors in front of him intently. This would be the perfect time to assassinate Weiss, and any would-be White Fang member had to know it. While Weiss undoubtedly knew the risk, she seemed awfully confident that she'd be safe. She had her personal servant, after all.

The olive skinned boy's expression remained impassive as the interlude came to his friend and master's song. Harmonious notes that he'd heard plenty of times before soared through the air as his best friend- Macht's eyes narrowed as movement came from the camera set to watch the scaffolding above the stage. "That," he mumbled, "is not supposed to be used at the moment." The teenager stood, thumbing the pole of his naginata that sat beside him. He kicked the weapon into his right hand and moved towards the ladder that would allow him to reach the area above the stage.

His motions went ignored by the rest of the staff, save for a young Faunus girl who had been recently hired by the production team. The thirteen year old climbed each rung carefully, his weapon strapped to his back through the use of magnets. He moved swiftly, though. He couldn't waste time. the young man leapt from the final few rungs onto the catwalk above the stage. Below him, Weiss finished her first song of the evening.

Applause echoed throughout the entirety of the auditorium, hushed tones following soon after. The voices ceased as soon as the music began for the next song. Darkness filled his vision as he looked for the intruder. There was an extremely high chance that the would-be assassin was a Faunus, which meant they could probably see him stumbling around. Still, the teen kept himself calm as he pulled a tanto from the hilt on his waist. It would be much more practical than his naginata in an area with less room to maneuver.

The sound of shoes stepping on metal filled his ears. In an instant, his weapon was raised, blocking a wooden tonfa that had been aimed for his temple. Fortunately, the sound of orchestral music and timpani drowned out the sound of the clash. Macht could only see the shadow moving in front of him, as well as yellow eyes that almost seemed to glow. "I had you figured for a Faunus," the boy grunted, the clash ending as the assailant leapt backwards.

Macht eyed his opponent, taking into account that they couldn't easily move around him. This was more akin to a duel. He spoke once more, his voice stoic and somewhat deep for his age, "So, what made you think that you'd fare any better than your brethren? I've slaughtered White Fang assassins by the dozens. One more will make no difference."

"You failed to protect Spiel and Rhona Schnee," the attacker was a female, he noted. Macht simply chuckled. "For a science experiment that's feared by most of our members, you don't do your job very well."

"Experiment? That's cute," Macht taunted his enemy. "I am the personal servant of Weiss Schnee." Yellow eyes narrowed. "Voluntarily, of course. I cook her meals, I clean up her room, and arrange her meetings, and I also dispose of unsightly self-entitled animals such as yourself."

"You're working for racists and scum," the girl growled. "People who enslave Faunus and treat them like trash."

"On the contrary, the Faunus who work within the Schnee Dust Company receive higher wages for their extended families," Macht countered. "Not to mention added health benefits for their unique immune system and have a larger range of potential job openings due to their enhanced senses."

"And the ones who work in the mines?" The assassin questioned. During the questioning, the two had both stood at a ready stance. Both equally ready for the other to strike. "What about them? Being forced to work in dark, dangerous mines for less pay than humans."

"Once again, incorrect," Macht smirked. "They're paid the exact same as humans and even more than those with cushy office jobs because of the danger and having to operate heavy machinery. The only reason the statistics show that they're paid less overall is because there are more human workers in the mines than Faunus. Context is important, dear."

"Context means nothing when it's working against equality!" Macht scoffed after the assassin spoke.

"Then you're a fool and the world will be better when you die," spoke the servant. Immediately, the two locked weapons as they both tried to kill one another. Dark eyes met yellow. "Your emotions blind you to the truth. You see injustice where there is reality. People, humans or Faunus, are not made equally. Faunus have greater physical advantages while humans seem to have the mental edge. That is why you don't often see Faunus in sciences and design. They are not adept at that type of work, and often have little interest."

"Shut up!"

"Would you force more Faunus to work as scientists where they would unleash deadly toxins in their lab because they misjudged their calculations, all for equality? Would you prefer Faunus to take more positions in the garbage industry despite having more sensitive noses, all for the sake of equality? No. You don't want equality. You want vengeance."

"What would a child know about equality!?" The young woman hissed at him. Their battle of wills was matched only by their battle of weaponry. The Faunus was obviously much more nimble than Macht, but muscle memory and years of training worked in the advantage for himself. "What would a human know!?"

"That your White Fang is just as racist as you claim humans to be," Macht growled. "You treat human and Faunus couples like scum. You destroy Faunus businesses that allow humans to give them business. It's not often that you see the opposite." Macht paused. "Linda Applegreen. She was a wolf Faunus who owned a grocery store down the road from here. She was married to a human and had four children. Do you know what happened to her three months ago?"

"Shut up!"

"Her business was vandalized and burned down by the White Fang. Linda was found in her own house, her entire family killed. All because she was married to a human. Is that the kind of equality you want!? With friends and families torn apart!?" Macht roared with anger at the next strikes, the orchestra below them having increased in volume during Weiss' performance. "You're scum. I'm done playing."

A tonfa smacked against Macht's cheek, but he ignored it completely. His hand reached out and grabbed the woman by the neck. His grip tightened. The shadows seemed to rise around the Faunus assassin.

"What are you?" The woman choked out. "You can't be human."

"I'm just a servant," Macht's eyes flashed with rage. "Nothing more. Nothing less. It is my mission to protect Weiss Schnee." A squeeze. A strangled scream, then silence. "At any cost." Macht dropped the body to the floor, allowing the shadows to envelop it. In a matter of seconds, it was gone along with any trace of the woman ever existing. He had no clue why the shadows followed his will, but he wasn't going to complain. It made his cleaning job easier.

Applause rang through the auditorium once more as Weiss finished her final song. The teenager slowly descended the ladder once more, taking less than a minute before he made it backstage. He moved towards the edge of the backdrop and waited for his friend.

The Schnee quickly moved towards her servant and smiled. "Did anything interesting happen?" She asked, shooting her servant a coy smile. Macht returned the facial expression.

"No, nothing, really. You performed well," he complimented her and shifted the topic. "Your voice is beautiful, as always." The heiress' cheeks flushed, but she punched the boy's shoulder lightly at the teasing.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Warme," she told her servant. "However, I would welcome you to continue trying." The two moved further backstage as they spoke, and Weiss' words were met with heavy clapping. The two looked forward to spot a bearded man. "Father."

"That was quite the performance, Weiss," Koald regarded his daughter. His eyes met Macht's for a moment before returning to his daughter. "You'll make a fine heiress, yet. I look forward to seeing how well you perform as an adult."

"Y-Yes, of course," the girl nodded, keeping her hands together in front of her. "And of my training?" Koald's eyes flashed with a hint of anger before calming.

"I'd rather you not follow the same path that your sister did, Weiss," the Schnee patriarch's voice was tight. "You are needed here, at home. Being a Huntress is far too dangerous a job for someone in your position."

"I have Macht to look over me," Weiss insisted. Still, she didn't meet her father's eyes. "I'd be completely sa-"

"What I say is final," the man snarled before taking a couple of breaths. He readjusted his tie around his neck. "You're becoming just as troublesome as your mother and sister. There must be something about the women in this family, isn't that right, Macht?" The servant blinked, before bowing his head, slightly.

"Personally, sir, I believe that Weiss should be allowed to choose what she does with her life before taking up the mantle of heiress," the servant replied, getting a smile from his mistress. Koald sneered slightly.

"As I said, there must be something about the women in this family," Weiss and Macht both winced at the insult. "Regardless, you performed well. Your next show will be in a few days, so rest your voice and don't do anything overtly dangerous. Have I made myself clear, Weiss?"

"Yes, father," the girl hung her head in defeat as Koald walked on, obviously pleased with her words. Macht glanced at his friend.

"Well, seems like he's in a good mood," he joked lightly. Weiss smiled weakly in return. "Want to grab some food? We haven't been able to just hang out in a while."

"That sounds lovely," the girl nodded, following Macht's lead. "Did nothing really happen while I was singing?"

"Yeah, pretty boring back here."

"Strange, I would have thought that something would have happened while I was so vulnerable and exposed."

"Maybe you just lucked out this time, miss Schnee," the servant smiled towards his mistress. It wouldn't do to stress her out over pests. "Perhaps you simply lucked out." Neither of them noticed the eyes of a cat watch them leave.

XXXXX

Sparkling golden eyes admired the object before them. It was a beautiful red color, and was definitely more high-tech than her uncle's weapon. The brunette cradled it in her arms as her sister, father, and uncle watched on with amusement. The eleven year old could hardly believe that she now had her very own scythe! "It's beautiful," she squealed. "I'm gonna name her Crescent Rose!"

"That's a pretty good name, sis," Yang smiled at her. Ruby, in turn, moved away from her step-sister and her smile faltered. Yang's normally bright smile faded slightly at the motion. Taiyang quickly moved in before anything bad could happen between the sisters.

"Well, I think we all mean it when we say 'happy birthday'," the blonde man smiled, trying his best to not tear up at the sight of his daughter growing a year older. "I thought that it would be nice to get you something like your uncle's since he lets you use his weapon so often.

"Actually, it was my idea," the Branwen piped up before taking another drink from his flask. "Your dad, here, wanted to get you some clothes or whatever stupid junk he was saying before. I'm the one who suggested we get you're a damn scythe that can turn into a gun."

"It can turn into a gun!?" Ruby's eyes widened with excitement, her previous hesitance gone. Qrow stepped forwards and wrapped his hand around the body of the scythe. He made to take it, but Ruby's arms were wrapped tight around it.

"Kiddo, I'm gonna need to see it to show you how," he smirked as he spoke. "I designed it for you, so I'm gonna need to hold it to be able to show you." The family was slowly recovering day by day. It was taking time, but the signs of joy were slowly returning to the cabin in the woods.

Ruby pouted at her uncle's words, but relented and let go of the scythe. She watched him like a hawk, however, as he pulled a small trigger near the ammunition chamber. "It has a variety of ways to transform, kid, but this trigger here will bring out the blade in your weapon instantly."

"That's. So. COOL!" Qrow was sure that he could see stars in his niece's eyes. "Gimmegimmegimmegimmegimme!" The older man smirked before tossing the young girl her new weapon.

"Say, why don't you and Yang go out back for a spar?" Taiyang suggested. The excitement in Ruby's eyes died out almost immediately. For some reason, ever since Summer's death, even mentioning Yang seemed to bring Ruby to a somber mood. When her dad or uncle tried to bring it up, she'd only withdraw even further.

"Rubes?" Yang spoke up, resting her hand on her sister's shoulder. The Rose flinched at the touch. "Hey, let's go out back and try out your new weapon, ok? You and me, just like old times." Ruby seemed to freeze for a moment before she nodded, slowly.

"S-Sure," she mumbled under her own breath. Yang smiled gently at those words, but slowly felt a little pathetic that she was happy that her sister hadn't pushed her away.

"Great! Let's go and see what you can do with it," the blonde happily escorted her sister out the back door as the two adults stood by. The blonde turned to his brother-in-law.

"It's a start," he muttered, sighing at the same time. "It can't be that she's jealous. She doesn't try to make friends and she's probably almost just as strong as Yang by now. You've really put her through the paces for that."

"All I can tell is that she doesn't dislike Yang at all," the Branwen returned the sigh. "She's not aggressive, and doesn't get angry at her at all. It's like she just shuts down. Reminds me of a certain lump of flesh I know." The roughly shaven man smirked.

"I never really thanked you properly," Taiyang nudged the tattered-cape wearing man. "After Summer died, you were pretty much the glue holding us together. So thanks. You really saved our bacon. I guess you could say you're pretty Branwen things go wrong, eh?" Qrow groaned and hung his head at the pun.

"I swear, I should have just let you starve yourself," the drunk grumbled. "If you didn't play 'mom' then I'm sure I could've raised your kids myself." The two men watched through the window as Ruby slowly acclimated herself with Crescent Rose. The fight was even, but it was obvious that Yang was holding back. They didn't seem to talk at all, and Ruby was hesitating before acting. "Is it me, or does Ruby look like she's trying hard not to hurt Yang?"

"What?" Taiyang blinked before he watched his daughters a bit more closely. Just as Qrow said, his youngest was pulling her strikes just before she made contact. "Huh, would you imagine that?" The two men kept watching, different thoughts running through their heads. While Taiyang was content watching his daughters finally interact for the first time in almost six years, Qrow couldn't help but see the two girls mirroring Summer and Raven. Neither one wanting to hurt each other, but an unspoken tension between them visible even to the casual observer.

Still, he had to agree that whatever had been there seemed to have lifted a bit.

The day passed with cake, singing, and the silence between the two girls only becoming more evident. Ruby had decidedly not spoken a word to her sister the entire rest of the day, and had gone to bed early rather than stay up and watch the Saturday night cartoons like she usually did. The evening went on as usual once Ruby had gone to bed. Yang, Taiyang and Qrow had spent some time playing a new video game with Qrow ultimately beating the both of them, and then the two men had went to bed.

Yang stayed up to watch the cartoons. She really didn't have a whole lot of investment in them. None of the characters she remembered from when she was younger. It seemed like the new seasons had given up on their older, grown fanbase and had moved on to the next generation. It was a shame. She liked watching super heroes.

The blonde took a moment to grab a glass of water before heading up the stairs to her own room. It had been a long day, and she was ready for tomorrow. The teenage girl paused as she found herself in front of Ruby's room. Inside, she couldn't hear anything. Her sister must have been asleep. Still, something tugged at her. The Xiao-Long slowly gripped the doorknob to her sister's room and opened it.

Soft sobbing came to Yang's ears as the door opened. Her violet eyes widened before she allowed herself to slip inside. Yang slowly and quietly closed the door behind her, her breathing steady. A pain went through her heart as she heard her baby sister whine. "Rubaby?" Yang whispered, but no answer came. She approached her sister's bed to see the brunette hugging her new weapon. Her sheets were messed up as if she'd been tossing and turning.

Moonlight shone through the window to the room, letting the elder sister see tears running her younger sister's face. "Oh... Rubaby..." Yang expressed a sympathetic smile for her sister before she sat down on Ruby's bed, wiping away the tears in her eyes. He ran her fingers through her sister's short hair and made hushing noises. "It's ok, Rubes... I'm here."

Yang bit her bottom lip as a thought passed through her mind. She hesitated before she stood, making her way to the other side of the bed, where her sister was facing away from. Yang slipped inside the bed under the covers and wrapped her arms around her sister. She held the Rose close to herself.

"Y-Yang?" Her little sister's pained voice broke her heart. "Why? Why?"

"Why what, Rubaby?" The blonde asked. Ruby didn't look back at her sister.

"Why are you still so nice to me?" The Rose asked the dragon. "I hated you. I yelled and kicked a-and I-"

"Shhhhh," Yang smiled, kissing her sister's cheek. "We're sisters, aren't we?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And sisters stick together no matter what," Yang told Ruby. "Even after we've been yelled at, and kicked, and tell each other we hate each other." Ruby's sobbing became louder and she shifted in bed and turned away from her weapon, letting her tears instead soak into Yang's shirt as she clung to it.

"I'm sorry!" The Rose wept. "I'm so sorry! I'll never do it again, I promise! I'll never be a good Huntress. I don't deserve to!"

"Shhh," Yang hushed her. "Don't worry, I've got you. Nothing will ever harm you." Yang tried her best to soother her sobbing sister. "I'm close by, I'll stay here. Through all things, I will be near. Close your eyes. Don't you cry. Love's around you. In time, you'll fly." Even with those words, Ruby still cried. Still, Yang could feel the wall between them finally crumble.

XXXXX

Gold

( watch?v=EczdC7_WxVQ)

A/N: Another chapter done. I really wanted to expand on some of the character, as you saw here. I really had the most fun writing out the scene with Weiss, Koald, and Macht as well as the final scene between Ruby and Yang. While it wasn't much in terms of length, I really think it captures the care that Yang has for her sister.

For those who might think it's stupid for Ruby to cause so much of a fuss about being mean to her sister during her bratty period, remember that she's still a kid. A kid with a dad who isn't quite all there most of the time and a drunk of an uncle. Kids tend to make a big deal over small things, and I know all of us have had moments like that in our childhood. I remember when I was a child I was playing in the woods with my friend and got stung by a bee. I only felt the pinch and saw the bug, but I absolutely freaked. I wasn't even in any pain, but I was so terrified of insects that I just went nuts.

It was the same with the resolution. My brother removed the stinger and his girlfriend kept me somewhat calm, distracting me. As soon as it was done, I tearfully asked for a drink. It's that memory that I hold on to when writing children. Their view of the world is so simple that it's endearing. I wanted to capture those kinds of emotions in that final scene.

Anways, please leave a review if you enjoyed it or if you see anything that could use improvement! Until next time,

Seeya!


	5. Innocence Arc - Just Another Day

Innocence Arc – Just Another Day

The sixteen year old yawned and stretched silently as she woke for the day. Her bed was comfortable, and the walls of her room were painted pink. Her bedsheets were brown and her television was still on from the night before, playing some rerun of some action movie that had come out the year before. Knocking at the door garnered her still sleepy attention. "I'm going out, Neo! I'll be back by tomorrow!" The girl yawned once more, blinking a few times as her eyes traded colors with every blink.

Neo hated mornings. Maybe when she was a kid she'd been ok with them, but time and age had made her hate them all the more. People were active during the morning. Neo didn't like people. therefore, mornings were bad and deserved to be stabbed with the blade on her umbrella.

The diminutive teenager slowly slipped out from under her covers, revealing her lithe, nude body to her room. She loved the cold; it reminded her of her time in Atlas. They had been simpler times. Enduring the cold also reminded her that she was alive and was strong. She could take the cold.

Ruffling clothes filled the room as Neo dressed herself. She decided on casual for the day, a white t-shirt, no bra, a pair of cute panties she'd picked out the other day, and some jean shorts. The girl looked herself over in the mirror as she combed out her long, tri-colored hair. Roman had always told her that if she was going to get caught during a heist, then she might as well look good doing it. Never mind the fact that she was impossible to catch.

Still, today she wanted to feel like Neo. A girl. A teenage girl. Not some world class criminal mastermind. She considered wearing a longer shirt since the one she was wearing cut short, revealing her belly-button. She shrugged instead, though. She would live showing off a little bit of skin. Maybe she'd find a fun boy to tease out of his wallet.

After double and triple checking her appearance, the young woman moved for her door. She and Roman lived in a warehouse near the outskirts of Vale, occupying its space in entirety. They'd worked solo for the most part, relying on each other for thefts and basic anarchy. Still, ever since that one woman had entered the picture, they hadn't had a lot of time for themselves. She said she needed Dust. Neo didn't like her.

Not only was she paying them diddly-squat for their services, she had the nerve to threaten Roman like he was a nobody! Now, let it be known that Neo often threatened him as well, but at least she didn't threaten to burn him alive. Often. That woman did. She made it abundantly clear that Roman was working for her, not with her.

Then there was that green haired bitch. Sure, she was kind of nice sometimes, but she had an attitude and some sort of hero worship for that woman. Therefore she was a bitch. Speaking of. "Oh, look what the clowns dragged in," Emerald smirked, looking down at the ice-cream themed girl. "I'm sorry, pipsqueak. You have to be taller than that to be here. What, do you want me to pour you some milk and cereal for breakfast?" The bitch sat on a couch in front of the TV, hogging the entire piece of furniture like a fat pig. Neo gave her a lesson in sign language.

"Whatever, shorty," Emerald rolled her eyes and smirked. "I heard your daddy went off on another Dust heist. How much you wanna bet that he'll screw this one up, too?" Neo gave the bitch remedial lessons. "Good to see your vocabulary is as extensive as ever. Cinder dropped me off here because she doesn't trust your daddy to get the job done, himself." Neo's fists clenched as she walked into the small kitchenette set up in the corner of the warehouse.

The entire place was silent, save for the television and Neo going through the pantry for some food. At least it was, until miss Bitchy-McBitchFace spoke up again. "So, there anything fun to do around this part of town?" Neo paused. That was almost a civil question. "Look. You and I don't have to get along, but I swear to god I'm not going to spend my entire day locked up in a smelly, dirty warehouse of all places." She ignored the not-so-veiled insult at the place she lived in.

Neo continued to make herself some breakfast while she thought of things to do. She took a moment and turned to Emerald, miming reading a book. "What, just read? That sounds like staying inside, loser." Neo rolled her eyes before Making an "L" with her hand and then the same reading motion. "L... Reading... Library? You want to go to the library?" A nod. "Jeez, didn't think a little psycho like you would ever want to read, not to mention the thought that you even could."

Neo stomped her foot to the ground and puffed her cheeks out. "Yeah, yeah, throw your hissy fit. The library could be interesting," Emerald sighed. The mint haired girl missed going out to read at the library every day. She'd done it fairly often as a kid, and had only stopped when Cinder had her doing jobs left and right. Speaking of being a kid... "Say, I want to visit someplace while we're out. Somewhere I used to visit a lot when I was younger."

Neo cocked an eyebrow, but didn't make any motions to argue. If the bitch wanted to waste the day away, then who was she to disagree? She was doing practically the same thing, anyway. Besides, when was the last time that Neo had gone out with another girl?

…

Ok, when was the last time that Neo had gone out with another girl that she hadn't stabbed? It had been a long time! The once-maid ate her breakfast, watching the screen on the TV from the counter. There was some sort of recording of a concert on. Her eyes widened as she recognized the girl singing onscreen. Emerald noticed. "What, you know her? Apparently she's some big shot. A Schnee. Aren't they known for being racist scumbags?"

Mr. Stabby came from his umbrella sheathe in record time. "Whoa! Hey, what the hell!?" The tip of her blade pressed against the bitch's neck, a look of rage crossing Neo's face. "Jeez, what's gotten into you? What, you have a soft spot for the Schnee, or something?" Neo kept the scowl on her face. "Fine, I won't badmouth them. Whatever. Just get that needle away from my neck."

Neo smirked before putting her weapon away. Emerald rubbed the spot on her throat that had nearly been impaled. "Jeez, I never took you as one to care about anyone besides your boy toy." Neo rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out in a raspberry. "Yeah, yeah, yuck it up. So, are you ready to go or do I have to keep babysitting you?" Neo rolled her eyes and made her way to the door, grabbing her pastry in the process. Emerald followed at a more relaxed pace.

The walk was filled with silence, which neither seemed good nor bad. There was no tension between them, neither of them really hating the other overtly. The two of them didn't particularly like one another either, preventing it from being a comfortable silence. It simply was.

The walk to the library took twenty minutes since it was closer to the center of Vale. The library itself was impossible to miss; it was a massive brick building with a clocktower on the top of the roof, showing the time for all to see. Emerald felt a pang of nostalgia fill her as she looked at the words that were embedded on an iron plaque by the two double doors of the building. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest," it said. Emerald smiled at those words.

The two of them entered the expansive building, with Neo easily the most awed. There had to have been three floors worth of books inside, and each floor was probably eleven feet tall. The diminutive girl looked around with wide eyes, something Emerald didn't miss.

"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" The mint haired teen asked, making her partner in crime flush from being caught. "They have books from all over Remnant, here. It's nothing compared to what I hear they have in Atlas, but it's still pretty cool in its own right." Neo rolled her eyes at the statement. "I'm serious, Atlas' library takes up four whole city blocks, and has even more underground just tucked away for reservation! Each wing is dedicated to different things, even."

Neo sent the mint haired girl a smirk, resting her hands on her hips as she stood firm before her. Emerald scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I am so not a nerd," she defended herself. "I just like to know things, is all. What, do you really want to stay and uncultured dumbass for the rest of your life?" Neo curtsied and made the motion of adjusting glasses up the bridge of her nose. "No, you are not elegant or an intellectual. You're a violent psychopath."

Neo winked and held up two fingers in the air, then brought them together. "You cannot possibly be both, you little devil!"

"SHHHHHH!" A wave of silencers washed over the two, with Neo giving Emerald a knowing grin. Emerald decided then that she really hated Torchwick's partner. The two separated at that point, with Neo heading over to the non-fiction section, surprisingly, and Emerald making her way towards the fiction.

Em trailed her hands over the line of books, once or twice considering using a rolling ladder to see what was further up the bookcase. She gave those who passed her a small smile, always on the lookout for an easy steal. Unfortunately, libraries made it hard to steal from people. Everyone was so focused on themselves that they would easily notice a missing wallet or purse. Not only that, but the lack of multiple ways in or out would make escape much harder.

While Emerald could easily use her Semblance to disguise herself or hide her actions, it would still be difficult to pull off. No, she wouldn't defile her second favorite place in Vale with theft. The girl lost in her thoughts, though, grunted as she accidentally bumped into someone. It was a girl with dark clothing and a black bow on her head. Her eyes were a lemon-like yellow and her hair trailed down her back.

"Sorry about that," Emerald apologized, offering the girl an easygoing smile. The girl's eyes were almost dead- no, they were observant. As if the young woman Emerald had bumped into was judging her silently.

"It's fine," she replied, her tone dry. "I wasn't looking at where I was going. My name is Blake." If the strained smile on her face was anything to go by, Emerald would say that Blake was uncomfortable. Did she not get out? It would explain her skin tone.

"Emerald," the mind girl introduced herself. "But I prefer to be called Em. It was nice meeting you." Blake blinked as Emerald walked away, watching her leave. That hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. Still, it could have gone worse.

The hidden Faunus moved on, a small stack of books in her arms. It had only been a few days since she'd defected, and the knowledge that she had no friends stuck sorely in her mind. All of her past friends had been in the White Fang, and she wasn't exactly sure what to make of them. She couldn't approve of their actions, but maybe there was some way to change them? That was why she'd collected a stack of history books, hoping to see if things could change. If something before had been able to change a group of misguided people.

The checkout was quick and mostly quiet. Blake offered the girl at the counter her thanks, and moved on. As she moved through the doorway, the Faunus squinted her eyes at the sun's light. She allowed the warmth of Vale to envelop her. A soft breeze moved through the streets, and she could hear people talking and walking and enjoying life. It was peaceful here; a far cry from what it had been like camping out in the woods.

She supposed camping would normally be peaceful, sans the threat of Grimm, but living in a White Fang encampment always had some form of stress attached to it. There was always a planned raid. Always some sort of mission to look forward to. Here, Blake really didn't have any kind of plan for the day besides reading. It wasn't even afternoon, and she had the entire day to herself.

Yes, this was a far cry from what life had been like several weeks ago. Blake watched as a fire truck flew down the road, its sirens wailing. Well, maybe it wasn't completely peaceful. Still, it was an improvement. Her eyes passed over the title of the book on the top of her stack. "The Color Rebellion; The Instrument of Change," written by Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck, one of the leading names in the historical field. He was supposedly now a professor at Beacon, Blake noted absently. At least, that was what the About the Author section of the book had told her.

Beacon. It was the leading school for Huntsmen and Huntresses. It was aptly named, she supposed. The Hunters that came from the school were definitely seen as beacons of hope and protection. People who were almost godlike and could bring change to even the most desolate of places. While it was almost certainly propaganda, Blake couldn't help but dwell on the thought. A Hunter brought change.

Blake checked the time on the massive clocktower. It was about an hour before noon. Beacon would definitely be accepting applications for the following year at this point, so what was the worry? The worry was that she did not do well around people. Blake had never really been a people person. Not entirely. As a kid, perhaps, but as she'd grown older she'd grown more jaded. Humans were deceptive and could cause much harm. Part of her still worried about that.

Still, that kind of thinking didn't stop her from going toward the Bullhead station. The people at Beacon had to be different. They wouldn't let just any kind of racist scum into the school, right? Right. She would be safe there. There was no way the professors would even tolerate that kind of racism in a prestigious school like that. Not without beating it out of them.

Blake awaited the Bullhead that would take her to the Beacon Academy property. It seemed like she wasn't the only one who intended to apply to the school that day. There were groups of other people; friends and families, who were waiting for the same transportation. Her eyes lingered on a group of two, a boy and a girl, who were teasing one another near the back of the crowd. The boy had dark grey hair, and was much taller than most of the other teens waiting around. The girl, by contrast, was rather short. She was almost impossible to see.

There was a single book in her hand, and she seemed to be very interested in whatever she was reading. So much so that she was actively ignoring the boy trying to tease her. Blake could admire dedication and focus like that. Especially towards reading.

Paige was having a good day. It was sunny outside, and she had her favorite book in her hands. Sure, Richard was being annoying as usual, but she did nothing to stop him. It was a big day, after all. Being able to finally apply to Beacon after several years of training. Her happy mood, however, did not show on her freckled face. Her lips did not curl into a smile, and her evergreen eyes did not light up with any particular semblance of joy.

"Come on, we're almost there!" The wolf Faunus that she called her best friend ushered her onto the open doors of the landed Bullhead. His enthusiasm covered the basis for the both of them. "We're so close! Beacon is only a year away!" Paige allowed herself to smirk, letting her bespectacled eyes rest upon the young man. His skin was a healthy peach, and he had a body any man would kill for. Not overly muscled, but toned enough to show he meant business.

It was almost a shame that he lost every fight he was in. Still, she was there to help him bandage his wounds and stand up for another go. He would definitely always be up for another fight. It was like he was addicted to the feeling. Paige flipped the page in her book, wiping aside the forest green hair that obscured her view of the words. Part of her debated cutting it, but then she remembered how much Richard had complained when she did the last time.

It hadn't been worth the months of whining.

Even still, she put up with it because he accepted her. The very least she could do was accept him in return. Her eyes rested on the bookmark that laid under a single page, directly in the center of her book. It was black in color, and had lines of different colors that ran down the interior. It had been a gift from Richard, something she treasured.

Her own eyes glanced at the massive two-headed war axe strapped to his back. It was intricately designed and had a feel to it that seemed almost ancient. It was definitely passed down through his family, and probably would continue to be even after.

"Excuse me!" Paige's eye twitched as she felt someone ram into her from behind, shoving her and making her drop her book. Blonde hair caught her vision as a scraggly young man bolted towards a nearby trashcan. Richard laughed at the scene before them.

"Looks like someone has a weak stomach," he grinned, nudging Paige. The girl simply sighed, before reaching down to pick up her book. "Sure glad that isn't you, am I right?"

"If that were me, I would intentionally vomit on you," the girl replied, getting a faux gasp from her best friend. Her lip curved slightly into a smirk. "Now be quiet. I'm at the best part." Her eyes drifted to the blonde once more. She would let him be, this time. It wasn't his fault that he had a weak stomach. Motion sickness was surprisingly common, so she would let it pass.

Jaune was throwing up. Normally that would have been shocking. Out of his entire family, save for his mom, he had the strongest stomach. He could eat junk foot all day and all night and not feel the slightest bit sick. He had plenty of training as a child, after all. Flying, however? That was a different beast entirely.

Jaune now knew that he hated flying. Forget monsters, Bullheads were his true enemy. Unfortunately, it would take a lot more than a sword and a pistol that could turn into a dagger to slay the massive, metal beasts. All the shifting and humming did not do well for his stomach in the slightest.

The constant bobbing of the vessel as it stayed afloat. Every small rumble and bump. He hated the feeling. Still, he couldn't go back now. He would have to thank Dell for sneaking him out of Ansel. Not before apologizing to his mom for stealing her sword and shield, but it was the thought that counted. Not only that, but he'd have to thank Dell for the transcripts.

He didn't know who the older man's friend was, but the man in the mask had forged the papers for him without a second thought. A favor, he'd called it. A favor for Dell. He didn't know the southwesterner had so many friends in different places. Then again, he'd never even recognized that Dell had once been part of a group called "The Mercenaries". It was a simple name, but there was a sense of pride in his mentor's voice whenever he'd brought them up.

Nine men capable of amazing things, even without the use of Dust or Semblances. They'd never had their Aura unlocked and relied only on skill, tenacity, and plenty of teamwork. Jaune wanted to be like them. They were real heroes. Men who stood on the battlefield beside Hunters and saved lives despite being handicapped in such a big way.

The Bullhead shuddered, letting Jaune release another wave of puke-y goodness into the trashcan. He groaned, looking out the window before him to see the main campus of Beacon that sat upon a cliff. Below them was a massive expanse of forest. He could see individuals go flying off from the cliffs into the forest below. It was interesting, but nausea came calling once more.

It was another few torturous minutes until the flying beast finally came to a stop. Jaune was among the first to flee the metal confines of the flying deathtrap, leaving the last of his lunch in a nearby garbage can. The blonde groaned. Screw stories of grandeur and chivalry. He would trade all of those dreams in if he could just get over his motion sickness. The boy sighed before moving on to the main tower of Beacon. It fit its name. It definitely looked like a beacon of some sort.

Jaune couldn't help but shudder as he felt for his transcripts in his bag. It was do or die time. He was definitely not ready to die. The thing was, he wasn't sure if he was ready to do, either. Still, he was already there. If the attractive blonde walking towards him could do it, then why couldn't he? His eyes bulged as he looked her over, before quickly looking away. She seemed to have caught him, however, and shot him a knowing smirk.

"Good luck, lover-boy," she spoke to him as she walked past, not hiding her laughter. It sounded more teasing than cruel, like how his youngest sister, Cream, would laugh whenever she'd push his face into his birthday cake every year. It was annoying at first, but there was a cuteness to it. Still, he didn't want any more siblings. He spared one last glance to the blonde bombshell that had passed him before he looked forward towards the school. He wished he could be as confident as her.

Yang was enjoying the walk back to the Bullhead that had pulled up, bringing with it a whole load of more applicants. She'd made sure to get up early that day so she could make her submission. Beacon was infamous for being incredibly exclusive. Only four hundred students a year were accepted, and even more would probably drop out before graduation. After all, only ten teams on average ever made it through all four years in enrollment.

It was daunting, to be honest. She'd never had so much pressure put on her career choice in her life. Probably the last time she was so nervous was sparring against her baby sister a few years ago when that Ursa had appeared. Speaking of, she'd promised to meet with her little sister and dad for lunch. It was coming on noon, after all. Right on cue, the bell tower at Beacon rang; twelve times to signify the hour. The blonde girl pulled her scroll out from her pants pocket, holding it with some new gloves she'd bought a week before.

She shifted through her contact list before landing on her father's name. She pressed "call" and held the scroll up to her ear. It wasn't the latest in tech; which all had the holo-screens implemented in them. Her scroll was probably three years old. "Hey dad?" She greeted as soon as the call picked up. She didn't waste her time and stepped onto the Bullhead. She blinked, however. Something smelled nasty, and it was coming from the trash can beside her. Yang wisely decided to move.

"Hey, Yang? Ruby and I are already in Vale. Are you on your way?" Her dad's voice spoke through the speaker on the scroll. Yang glanced out the window towards the Emerald Forest that rested at the foot of Beacon.

"Yeah, I just stepped on the Bullhead back," she told Taiyang, smiling. As she'd grown older, she'd spent less and less time in Patch with her family. Yang was stronger than she looked, and had taken a few jobs around town that involved lifting to save up some money for food, hotel rooms, and saving some up for some spending money every so often. While Beacon usually had a stipend for students, it would never hurt to have just a little extra laying around.

"Great!" Taiyang cheered through the phone. "We'll meet you at the station. Qrow sent me the directions to a good place that serves food from Vacuo. It's been around for a while, but apparently he and the owner are friends."

"Sounds great," the younger Xiao-Long chuckled, taking a moment to look over her nails. They needed a little bit of trimming. Some polish wouldn't hurt, either. "I'll meet you guys when I land. Tell Rubes I say hi."

"Hi Yang!" the excited voice of a fourteen year old echoed over the scroll. "Hey, hey! Hi!"

"Ruby says hi, Yang," her dad laughed as Ruby continued to yell excitedly in the background. Yang couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes. Ruby had quickly attached herself to her older sister after their heart to heart, and things were finally back to normal.

"Hey, Rubes," the elder sister greeted, knowing she couldn't be heard. "I'll see you in a bit, dad. we're taking off."

"We'll be there," Taiyang replied. The call cut off. Yang slipped the scroll back into her pocket, and crossed her arms, looking out over the clear skies. Her dad still sometimes had days where he'd shut down, but it was much better than nine years ago. Her dad was strong. Probably the strongest guy she ever knew. Yang's heart clenched at the memory of her dad passed out on the couch with dried tears on his face. All the while her uncle Qrow spoke to and threatened her other uncle, Orochimaru.

The blonde didn't know what to think of the man anymore. He'd long since vanished from the world without a trace. Search parties had been sent out, but her uncle Orochimaru couldn't be found at all. Part of her was worried, but then she'd always remember his last words to her.

"You will find me when you remember your potential," he'd said. She didn't understand it at the time, and she still didn't. Yang knew that she was strong, but it obviously wasn't enough if she hadn't found him yet. Another name on the list of people she'd have to look for. Another person she'd have to bring back. Kicking and screaming if needed.

The Bullhead landed without any issues, and Yang took her time disembarking. She looked around for any signs of her family, but saw none. It was possible they just hadn't gotten there, yet. She could wait. She wasn't in any rush, after all. The blonde grunted, though, as a red bullet slammed into her.

"Yang!"

"Hey, Rubes," Yang chuckled and embraced her little sister, grinning. "Aww, did my baby sister miss me?"

"Ack! My lungs! They're being crushed!" The Rose protested. "Somebody help!"

"Nobody can save you from being my baby sister," the older girl laughed. "I gotta say, Rubes, your speed really rose from the last time I saw you."

"Please stop," Ruby groaned, slipping out of her sister's deadly hug. "I get enough of that from dad! I don't need any more from you!"

"What, you're dissing on your old man, now?" Taiyang chuckled as he approached the duo, moving at a much more relaxed pace than his youngest daughter. "Now that's just a slice at my pride."

"Well, we all know our jokes are a cut above the rest," Yang replied with a grin.

"Too bad other just can't appreciate it with their own dicey sense of humor," Taiyang added. "It's a shame that such sheer talent is ridiculed."

"Both of you quit it before I cut you off!" Ruby whined before her own eyes widened. "Oh no! I've been infected by the pun bug. Someone, I need a cure!"

"Never!" Yang grinned and rubbed her fist on the top of Ruby's head, messing up her hair.

"Mayday! Mayday! Rose down! Requesting backup!" The two blondes laughed as the youngest of the three stuck her tongue out at the both of them. "You're both meanies."

"Aww, cheer up, sis!" Yang grinned and nudged her sister. "We're about to go grab some good food and see that new movie to celebrate my application. You know, the one where all those guys from the previous movies come to take on the King of Grimm?"

"Hm," Ruby hummed in thought. "Fine, apology accepted."

"Great, now let's go get some food," Taiyang ruffled his youngest daughter's hair. He stopped short of doing the same to Yang, getting a glare and a growl in return. He gave the blonde a sheepish smile before taking the lead. "It's just down the road, I hear. Apparently it's got great service and the owner is a super cool guy."

"You mean the opposite of you?" Yang jibbed, making her dad roll his eyes.

"What? I'm totally cool! Isn't that right, Ruby?" He turned to the brunette, who was once more thinking. "Ruby?"

"Nope," was the simple response. Taiyang hung his head in defeat.

"You both are so rude to your dad," the two daughters laughed at their father's expense. He quickly straightened himself out. "It should be just around- huh?" The trio paused as they came upon a saddening scene. The building where Qrow's directions had led to was gone, replaced by ashes, fallen bricks and the remnants of a structure. A fire engine was parked in front of the building as the embers inside were still burning slightly.

A crowd had gathered out front, and the Vale Police Department were keeping bystanders from getting too close as they tried to put out the remaining flames. Yang was the first to speak, "Jeez, I wonder how this happened?" She glanced to the side and noticed a few of what must have been the employees of the place standing to the side.

"NO!" Someone screamed. Taiyang watched on as a green haired girl ran past the police line. "No! Please, he's still in there!"

"Ma'am, stay back! It's too dangerous," the police tried to stop her, but Emerald was not going to let them. She knew who was missing from the crowd outside. Someone like him, he'd care too much for his business to ever leave it. He'd fight to the end. "Ma'am!" Someone had grabbed her arm.

"Let me go!" With a swift kick, Emerald knocked aside the person trying to hold her back. She didn't care if Neo was watching. Misha had to still be inside the building.

The first thing that she felt was the heat. The fires that burned around her were only enhanced by the brick exterior. It was like stepping into an oven. "Mister Misha!" Emerald screamed through the blaze. "Mister Misha, where are you!?" The main restaurant was a maze of burning wood and searing metal. Sweat was already dripping down her forehead and chest. She didn't care, however, and moved down one of the hallways further to the back. Misha had often let her sit in his office while she ate, out of sight from the normal patrons.

It was never out of shame, but more to ensure she wasn't bothered at all. She knew exactly where his office was. The flames were weaker down the hall since there wasn't as much to burn, but it looked like it had burned up the carpet and stopped at the restrooms. Emerald came upon the office door and ignored the pain as she opened it. Aura could heal her wounds.

Inside, sure enough, was a blaze. A room full of files, documents, and other very burn-able object made the fires inside deadly. "Mister Misha!"

"I am here!" The man's voice came from under his desk. A series of coughs followed. "Fire! Fire! AaaaaAAAAUGH!"

"Hold on, I'll get you!" Emerald pleaded, diving through the flames to reach the desk. She drew her weapons, a pair of kama, and sliced through the wood with ease. There, hiding under his desk, was Misha. His clothes were burnt in several places, and it looked like he'd tried to pat them out. His eyes were shut, and he didn't move. He had passed out.

"Come on, stay with me," the girl mumbled, trying to lift up the man. She grunted, unable to carry his weight. "No, no, you saved me, so it's my turn to do the same! Just budge, damn it!" It had taken forever to get inside. How could she possibly get back out while carrying an almost three hundred pound man?

"Hey," a voice spoke up from the door. Emerald turned around, seeing a girl her age with blonde hair. "You can't lift him?"

"Who are you?"

"Focus on that later. Move over, I can get him," the girl insisted. Emerald listened. The building was coming down around them and she couldn't afford to hesitate. Somehow, in some way, the girl was able to lift Misha over her shoulder and start walking as if she was carrying a bag of cat food. "Come on, let's go!"

"R-Right," Emerald stared in shock. It was weird. She was a thief, and always had been. Now this blonde girl was offering to help her, a complete stranger? Hell, somehow she'd even walked into the building unscathed and was doing the same as they left. The blonde was easily clearing a path for them to get out. What was it with blondes and helping people? Helping her?

"We're almost there!" The girl yelled back at her. Sure enough, she could see the door a few feet in front of them. Leaving was a snap, as the blond burst through the door, shattering it. Part of her worried about Misha's health, but she could take care of that later. The green haired girl followed suit.

"Someone call an ambulance!" She screamed. "Please!" Now that she was in the light, she could see multiple large burns on Misha's body. It would be a miracle if he survived. "Please, someone! Anyone! Somebody help!" Misha was taken into a nearby ambulance. Someone must have called it while she was inside the building, Emerald figured. There was a blonde man to the side of the police line who had his scroll out. The girl who'd carried out Misha quickly moved towards him, giving him a hug and speaking to him.

Emerald watched as the ambulance pulled away, and she was escorted back across the police line. She watched, helplessly, as The Flavors of Vacuo succumbed to flames. She felt a hand take hold of hers, and looked down to see Neo watching the place burn. Neo squeezed her hand and pointed to one of the walls that hadn't collapsed. The girl had a very tight grip.

Emerald glanced at the wall, and her fists clenched. Her expression contorted into a snarl as she looked upon the wall. Painted, roughly and quickly, was the symbol of a panther with four claw marks slashed through it. This hadn't been an accident. The White Fang had attacked Misha. Emerald would never forgive them.

"Let's go see how Misha's doing at the hospital," the mint haired girl told her partner in crime. "They'll pay for this. I'll make sure of it." Neo couldn't help but agree. It seemed like no matter where she was, the White Fang always followed. Even if every Faunus in the world had to be slaughtered, she'd crush them underneath her heel. Maybe Emerald wasn't such a bitch. Anyone who could hate the White Fang so much couldn't be all that bad.

XXXXX

A/N: I had planned on this to be separated just like I did my previous chapters, but that initial bump-in with Blake inspired me to see what would happen if the cast just kind of... connected. I'll say this much, I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was a lot of fun seeing when and where our characters would run into one another. Also, Richard and Paige are obviously OC's, and I've had them and one other planned since this story's conception several years ago. I'll be having some fun with them in the future.

As you can tell, this is an AU. The events here may be completely different than they are in canon, so don't expect to always know what's going to happen. I plan on having a lot of fun with our favorite teams.

Also, to the reviewer who pointed out that I used the description for destiny in place of fate, last chapter, I noticed it as soon as it was posted. I may go back and correct it if I get the time.

I won't have a lot of time to write next week, but I'll do what I can!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please go ahead and leave a review. What can I do better? Did you enjoy the chapter? I'd love to know! Until then,

Seeya!


	6. Teambuilding Arc - Shining Beacon

Teambuilding Arc – The Shining Beacon

Jaune, once more, was sick. Not really sick, but his stomach didn't seem to get that message. Once more, the seventeen year old was on a Bullhead to Beacon. He'd been accepted, which was great! Except, he had no clue as to what he was doing. He didn't know how to be a Hunter, and all the people around him looked so tough! Maybe he was far out of his league. His hand wandered to the pistol that laid strapped to his waist.

No, he couldn't give up here. He and Dell had worked so hard to get him to where he was, and he wasn't going to waste the old man's time and effort. He'd either make it as a Huntsman or die trying. Hopefully it wouldn't end up being the latter. He felt something resonate within him. Confidence. Determination. Powe- wait, no, that was more vomit.

"Blehhh!" The blonde groaned as he leaned over the trashcan, emptying the last of the contents in his stomach. He wished he had some gum to get that nasty taste out of his mouth. "Ewww, I knew I shouldn't have had a large breakfast."

"You look like you could use a hand," a strong hand rested on his shoulder. Jaune looked to see who it was attached to, and was pleasantly surprised to see a kind-looking guy looking down at him. "Here, I have some gum if you need it. The name's Richard Bright. It's nice to meet you!" The tall young man grinned when the blonde took the stick of gum from his hand.

"Y-Yeah, Jaune Arc," the boy replied, nodding in thanks as he allowed himself to chew the stick. "Nice to meet you too." He looked past Richard to see a young woman giving him a cold look. "Uh, your friend is...?"

"Oh yeah, this is Paige!" Richard grinned, moving back to rest his hands on Paige's shoulders. "Just a little ray of sunshine, isn't that right, bestie?"

"Continue to touch me and I'll slice off your hands," the girl mumbled. The tall man instantly got the hint and removed his hands from her.

"Anyways, we're totally best friends and are gonna be the strongest team in Beacon! Isn't that right?" Richard sure knew how to posture, and he seemed very upbeat. Well, if he was kind enough to offer Jaune gum to clear out the taste in his mouth, then he couldn't be too bad.

"It's nice to meet you, Paige," Jaune greeted the girl. He offered her a weak smile. While she didn't return it, she did seem to at least nod in acknowledgement. "So, are you two, uh, together?"

"Nah," Richard smirked. "Paige could never handle someone as magnificent is me!"

"He's a complete idiot," the girl added without a single shred of hesitation. Richard visibly deflated at the words. "I'd never date a failure like him."

"P-Paaaaige," the man whined like a child. For a moment, Jaune thought he saw the barest hints of a smile on her face. "I'm not that big of a failure!"

"You've never won a single match on your own during combat school," the retort was instantaneous, as if it were a practiced line. Richard only groaned in response, not even denying the statement.

"W-Wait, a big guy like you has never won?" Jaune couldn't believe what he was hearing. Richard had to be a head taller than Jaune, and was definitely more muscled. Paige nodded, a smirk on her face.

"It's true," she confirmed it before a frown marred her expression, "but I have no doubt he could still destroy someone like you in a fight." Jaune deflated just like Richard had hardly a minute before. Across the ship, a girl wearing a black bow focused on the pages in her book. She glanced up, noticing the wolf Faunus from the first time she'd been travelling to Beacon to apply. She was thankful for being accepted.

While she'd had to make up a story for why she didn't have transcripts from a Combat School, she had been allowed to take an initiation test for those in her position; fighting against a second-year student and lasting at least ten minutes or defeating them. The boy she'd fought had gone down without issue.

Yellow eyes gazed upon the two humans interacting with the Faunus. The first was the girl she'd seen with him before, and she only recognized her because she had the exact same book in her hands as she had nearly a year ago. Perhaps she liked to re-read books? The second was a blonde who was easily making friends with the other young man. Her eyes softened at the sight. The blonde had a nervous expression on his face, though. Did Faunus make him uncomfortable?

A flare of anger rushed through Blake's veins at the thought. She had hoped that Beacon would know better than to accept racists. It was a progressive-thinking academy, wasn't it? Why were they allowed to access the same amenities as good people, anyways? Like the girl. she was calm, but she didn't in the slightest seem like she was bothered by the Faunus by her.

Blake decided to keep an eye on the blonde boy. She wouldn't allow him to harm anyone that was a Faunus. Not if she could help it. Her eyes once more wandered the room filled with prospective students. she was a blonde girl giving a smaller girl a tight hug. Her eyes also passed over someone she identified as Pyrrha Nikos, a girl who had made a name for herself by become a four-time Mistral Regional Tournament champion, beating out the previous record at two that was held by Selene Tsuki.

Her eyes narrowed, however, at the sight of a face that any White Fang member would be able to recognize on the spot. Olive skin, dark eyes, and short, well groomed black hair. angular facial features and a firm, yet somehow impassive, expression on his face. He wore a crystal blue dress shirt with the white Schnee crest emblazoned on his right shoulder. Strapped to him were his two weapons, a naginata and a dagger of some kind. Both of which had unknown capabilities.

No brother or sister who had faced him ever came back alive; or at all. He'd been the murderer of at least dozens of Faunus. If he was on the ship, then that meant Weiss Schnee had to have been not far away. Knowing her kind, she'd probably taken a personal shuttle and left her science experiment to take the Bullhead like normal people did.

Blake's hands clenched with rage at the sight. He casually walked towards the window, watching the world outside with a disinterested gaze. It was like he didn't care about the people around him. She wondered what could be passing through that vile mind of his.

Macht was having fun. It was a rare time whenever he flew on public transportation, but that made it all the more interesting. The people around him were filled with energy and excitement, and why wouldn't they be? they were going to Beacon Academy, one of the finest schools in the world for becoming Hunters. It had only been by luck that he'd been able to smuggle Weiss out from the Schnee estate.

He felt bad; he'd had to knock out several of the guards around the premises to manage it. Flying over had been another issue. Fortunately, they'd arrived in time to apply both himself, and his mistress to the school. By the time they were accepted, it had been too late for her father to complain. Pulling her out would only bring up questions and draw unwanted attention. Speaking of unwanted attention...

Macht allowed himself to meet the gaze of a young woman with black hair and piercing yellow eyes. She was glaring at him, for whatever reason. He assumed she was a Faunus, despite not having any definable traits. Some were better to hide than others, after all. Still, only a Faunus would glare at him like that, especially given who he was. Most humans were either indifferent to him or found him interesting.

"Is something wrong?" A tender voice broke his concentration. The dainty hand that grasped his drew his attention to the young woman attached to it. Her hair was done up in an uneven ponytail, and the scar just above her left eye was unmistakable. "Macht, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Snow Angel," the young man replied, smiling a bit at the girl he called his best friend. "Just thought I saw something interesting, but it was nothing. I assume you spoke to the stewards to ensure our luggage is taken off quickly?" Weiss puffed up with pride at the suggestion.

"Indubitably!" The Schnee replied. "They've been made aware of our importance and will take the necessary actions to ensure our belongings will be ready not long after we arrive." Macht nodded in approval before squeezing her hand.

"Very good," he complimented her. "Punctuality is important. Did you make sure to thank them?"

"O-Of course!" Weiss replied all too quickly. "In fact I-I believe I'll go and thank them again. Fo-For good measure, after all." The heiress rushed off, intent on thanking the stewards "again". Her servant smiled at the small slip on her part and shook his head. It was endearing to see her correct herself like that. Inside, she was still somewhat of a child. It was evident by how often they'd eaten out while they lived together for the past year.

It had been a strange arrangement at first, with them living in a hotel room. Macht often took odd jobs to keep up a decent amount of emergency money, and Weiss had oftentimes gone out to explore the safer parts of Vale under a disguise. Sharing a bedroom, on the other hand, hadn't been an issue at all. They'd done so ever since they were children, after all. Still, Macht supposed that the amount of intimacy they had could probably be viewed at the wrong way.

Weiss returned only a few minutes later with a proud expression on her face. "I let them know again that their efforts were very much appreciated," she gloated, making Macht smile at her. "They told me that we will be landing soon as well, so I would recommend that we prepare to disembark."

"You just wanted to use the word 'disembark' in a sentence, didn't you?" Macht teased her. Weiss' face grew pink at the insinuation.

"I-I did not! It is simply part of my vernacular!"

"You learned it today from the bus driver," her servant pointed out. Weiss stomped her foot in indignation.

"I knew of it before," the Schnee insisted. "Stop laughing at me, you ignoramus!"

"Of course, of course," Macht walked slowly towards the door that would let them out. He could feel the Bullhead moving slower, preparing to dock. "I will assist the stewards in the movement of our luggage. It is fragile, so I will make sure they exercise the necessary caution."

"As you must," Weiss spoke primly before giving her friend a worried look. "You won't be long, will you? I-I mean, you had better not take too much time. The Schnee name would not accept tardiness, after all."

"Of course," the doors opened, and Macht was among the few who was able to leave the vessel first. The sound of humming engines filled Weiss' ears; that along with excited prospective students. A pang of loneliness passed through Weiss, but she stomped it down. Macht had promised that he would return soon, after all. Even then, she could spot him with the other stewards unloading the luggage within the Bullhead.

Weiss gripped her handbag that was slung over her shoulder. It contained things such as an extra set of clothes, some pajamas, as well as emergency Dust and toiletries. While she wasn't sure she'd need it, as she was hoping to be placed in a room that evening, it was a fallback for a "just in case" scenario. Slowly, the Schnee allowed herself to walk towards the tall, intimidating towers of Beacon.

It was strange, a year ago the towers had seemed to grand and inviting. Now, it seemed like they were trying to overshadow her. Weiss shook her head, knocking away the dreadful thoughts. She was going to survive. She had to. This was the life she wanted, after all.

Weiss was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice herself run into a shorter girl. Both took a tumble to the ground, and Weiss' bag fell from her shoulder, releasing several vials of Dust across the ground. "H-Hey!" The Schnee scowled, quickly straightening herself as she looked at the perpetrator of the accident. "You should be more careful, standing in the middle of a pathway! You've made me spill my vials of Dust!"

"I'm sorry!" She found her facing a young girl in a red and black combat skirt and with dark brown hair. "I really didn't mean to. I was just-"

"Just nothing," Weiss frowned, picking up her bag and grabbing one of the spilled vials from the ground. "You look a little young to be in a prestigious Combat School like Beacon. Do you even know what this is?" The heiress shook the vial to emphasize her point, not realizing that it was leaking. "This is Dust! Nature's energy given form."

The girl's eyes widened as she took several gasping breaths. "You should be more careful, little girl," Weiss continued. "Why are you even-"

"Achoo!" Ruby sneezed, the force of which activated the highly unstable Dust particles in the air and caused a series of elemental effects. While the effects themselves were weak due to the extremely low density of the Dust in the air, they were still harmful. Fortunately, both Weiss and Ruby had their Aura unlocked, so the effects were minimal. While Ruby had gotten away without a scratch, Weiss was covered head to toe in soot. "S-Sorry," the Rose mumbled.

"This is exactly what I was talking about, you dunce!" Weiss exploded with anger. How stupid could someone be, after all? The heiress quickly brushed off the soot from herself; at least as much as she could. she could only hope that the clothes inside of her handbag had gone unaffected by the explosions. "You need to learn to be more careful! do you have any clue as to who I am?"

"I-I don't-"

"Weiss Schnee," a voice spoke up. Ruby didn't hear the heat in those two words. "The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company." A girl approached the two of them, dressed in dark clothing and wearing a black bow on her head. Her yellow eyes ignored Ruby, and instead rested on Weiss.

"Thank you," Weiss sighed. Maybe now she could get somewhere. "Finally, somebody-"

"The same company known for its racist treatment of Faunus workers and debatable business practices," it was impossible for Weiss to ignore the anger seething through those words. Anger slipped into her own veins, her cheeks flushing in response. How dare this girl try to spread false information about not only her company, but herself as a result!

"Y-You...!" Weiss growled, unable to properly express the anger coursing through her. "Why, you...!" Before she could let the new arrival have it, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Miss Schnee," Macht's voice immediately soothed her anger. He would handle this ruffian for her. "Our luggage has been delivered. If you have the time, I believe we must head towards the auditorium for the greeting." Or not. Either way, if it allowed her to get away from those two reprobates, then she would gladly follow her servant anywhere.

"Yes, of course," Weiss replied, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Please, lead the way." Her servant turned on his heel and led Weiss away. Ruby, however, had no such luck finding a friend as she watched the dark haired girl follow suit in the other direction.

The Rose groaned, allowing herself to fall back onto the pavement and look up at the sky. "Welcome to Beacon," she mumbled to herself. She blinked, though, as she found herself staring up into cerulean eyes.

"Hey there," the boy had a high-pitched voice, but he seemed friendly enough. He was offering her a hand, after all. "You look like you could use a friend."

XXXXX

Pyrrha offered her companion a polite smile, letting him speak for the both of them. Truly, he was an interesting individual. He didn't even seem to recognize her, which was something she appreciated. Well, perhaps that was saying too much. He didn't seem to care, at the very least. Her brown haired companion was... interesting, she supposed.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Pyrrha," his voice was soft. "So, are you looking forward to teammates? It's the reason I really wanted to come here." She could tell. The boy walked with a hunched posture, despite his toned physique. His eyes seemed to look around him with a sense of anticipation. Someone like him didn't seem like he'd last very long alone. Pyrrha knocked away the thought from her mind. She didn't want to think lowly of him.

"Of course," she replied, instead. "I think it will be grand to be placed into a team." The boy, Krill, nodded in response. The two of them soon entered the auditorium and stood together amongst the crowd. It was already starting to fill up, and there was a woman on the stage who was setting up a microphone. She recognized her from the holo-projector that had been on the Bullhead; Glynda Goodwitch.

"You!" A voice shouted above the crowd. Pyrrha looked over at where a white haired girl, someone she recognized as Weiss Schnee, was yelling at a girl with dark brown hair.

"Aaaaah, it's happening again!" the girl shouted. She left into the arms of the taller blonde standing beside her. "Yang, protect me!"

"You're lucky we didn't get blown off the side off the cliff!" Weiss shouted again. Pyrrha wasn't sure if she wanted to ask what had happened. Several more words were exchanged, though they were too soft to decipher over the mulling crowd in the auditorium.

"Sounds like things are already getting pretty hectic, huh?" Krill chuckled nervously, looking in the same direction that she was. "Sheesh, everyone around here looks super strong. Maybe I shouldn't have applied."

"Nonsense," Pyrrha attempted to console the twitchy male. "I'm sure you have just as much right to be here as the rest of us. This is a school, after all. You simply need a little confidence." She gave the boy a charming smile, hoping to inspire a little bit of said confidence in him.

"R-Right," Krill nodded slowly before taking a deep breath. "Confidence. Confidence. I can do that. Just watch me, I'll be confident." Krill strolled towards a nearby trio, two boys and a girl. He tapped the girl's shoulder and offered her his hand. "Hello! My name is Krill Masters and I'd like to be your friend!" The redhead could see him trying to force a smile on his face.

The girl, however, pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. Her eyes didn't leave Krill's as she seemed to have a piercing gaze into him. The champion felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment for her new friend. Finally, the green haired girl spoke. "I don't want to be a friend with a loser like you." Pyrrha winced slightly at the shut-down as Krill slowly made his way back over to her.

"That was a bust," he groaned. Pyrrha tried to cheer him up with a smile.

"W-Well, it seems like she might not have been the most enthusiastic of people," she tried to comfort him. "Perhaps looking for someone else to befriend would serve you a bit better?" Krill made no response, but before Pyrrha could go any further, the microphone came to life on stage. There, on stage, stood the headmaster of Beacon Academy, a man simply know as Ozpin.

His eyes gazed over the students before him, judging them each one by one. To his side stood Glynda, attentive as well as she followed her headmaster's gaze. Finally, after a tense few moments, the man spoke.

"I'll...keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge-to hone your craft and acquire new skills." Pyrrha noticed as an orange haired girl bounced on the balls of her feet, practically brimming with excitement and energy. "And when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people." Her eyes looked over towards the blonde and brunette once more, and she could see the taller of the two slowly nodding at the man's words. "But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose – direction." The champion was taken aback at the statement. While she could definitely say that she didn't know everything, to be called wasted energy seemed a bit harsh. Weiss Schnee seemed to agree, if her expression was anything to go by.

The Schnee, however, seemed to relax as a boy slightly taller than Pyrrha rested his hand on her shoulder. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step." While Pyrrha had no problem seeing the underlying message that Ozpin seemed to be going for, she could tell that many of her peers could not, judging from the low mumbling of the other prospects.

Ozpin took his leave, then, as Glynda took up the microphone. "You will be staying here, in the auditorium, for the night. Tomorrow you will each be assigned respective rooms after your initiation. There will be professors present during the night, so any indecency would be ill-advised."

Macht smirked at those words, but hid it. He did discreetly nudge his mistress, however. "No indecent thoughts, miss Schnee," he teased his friend. To her credit, the girl had enough sense of mind to not reprimand him there; not after the uproar she'd caused by yelling at the girl from before. Still, the glare she shot him was entertaining enough for him.

"I can have you sent back, you know," Weiss kept her glare steady. "I can let you deal with father on your own."

"Ah, but where would you be without your personal servant?" Macht asked, not hiding his amusement. "I'd be loathe to think of the day where you might have to cook for yourself."

"That is the only reason why you won't be sent back on the first Bullhead back to Atlas," Weiss confirmed. The crowd around them dispersed, and Macht moved himself and Weiss close to one of the auditorium walls. A few older young adults, likely student volunteers, started to pack up the stage that had been set up.

"I'll find us a pair of sleeping bags," the butler informed his mistress. "You did bring your sleepwear, correct?"

"Please, as if I'd ignore the advice you gave me before we left," Weiss returned, "I will be fine on my own. Now, if you would make yourself useful and find us a pair of sleeping bags?"

"Of course, miss Schnee," the young man replied, enjoying the flush crawling up his friend's face. She hated being called that, and moreso by him than anyone else.

Weiss allowed herself to take a step back and watch the people around her. They were all grabbing sleeping bags from an older man with a large waist. His eyes were hidden under what appeared to be absolutely massive eyebrows. Oddity aside, it was almost a calming sensation.

Weiss' eye twitched as she watched some brown haired girl pull aside a boy. Well, perhaps calming was too strong a word. Even after the warning that miss Goodwitch had given them, they were still going to try and sneak off together? It spoke volumes of their bravery or stupidity. That being said, what exactly would she do with Macht? She found it easier to sleep with him close by, but it would be indecent to show something like that in public. Weiss found herself contemplating a dilemma.

XXXXX

"Everyone is accounted for," Glynda spoke to Ozpin later in the day. Night was coming, and the moon had already risen for the evening. "Also, the applications for next year are already starting to arrive. Professors Port and Sanders will both be welcoming them during the initiation exam for this year's prospects. The only thing left is to ensure that nobody almost literally destroys the forest."

"Thank you, Glynda," the grey haired man spoke, not once looking up from his scroll. "I believe that will be all that I require from you tonight. I'd advise you get some rest. We have an early morning tomorrow, after all."

"Yes, of course," the blonde yawned, as if accentuating the man's point. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." The woman walked towards the door of the elevator that led both in and out of the headmaster's office. "Ozpin?"

"Yes, Glynda?" The headmaster peered over the top of his scroll, looking at his assistant. The woman paused a moment before clearing her throat.

"You should get some rest as well," was all she said before the elevator doors opened. She took a step inside, and the doors closed before she could fully turn around. Ozpin watched the elevator carefully, contemplating his assistant's words. It was true, he hadn't slept very much as of late. Still, there was much to be done and not nearly enough time in the world to do it. If only he could rest for but a few hours.

"You should follow your assistant's advice, Ozpin," an effeminate voice spoke up from the screen on his desk. The silver haired man merely sighed, looking upon the pale face. "Let me take over for a little bit. I'm sure our common enemy won't be waiting much longer to make a move. This generation is quite the cavalcade of natural talent."

"So you've noticed it as well, Doctor Orochimaru," the headmaster observed aloud, knitting his fingers together. "I should have expected this. Is your research proving any results?"

"Not at the moment," the snake-like man smiled amusedly. "However, I should have some confirmation soon. The conditions here are becoming increasingly dangerous. We've already had one woman die in the process of our expedition."

"You're absolutely certain that this power will help us overcome Salem?" Ozpin asked, his concern palpable. He wanted to reduce the amount of lives lost. "Will you being there be enough?"

"Almost certainly not," the smile on Orochimaru's face didn't bring the man any comfort. "However, I can assure you that this will assist in your little shadow war." Those words also didn't bring Ozpin any confidence. He needed a way to completely nullify Salem's rising power and influence; if not reverse it completely.

"That won't be enough," the headmaster spoke firmly. "You were the one who suggested overpowering her-"

"We will, dear Ozpin," the tone Orochimaru held tent a shiver down the man's spine. "you must be patient, however. All good things to those who wait, after all. Now, I must return to the expedition. the sand storms are getting worse, which means we are getting closer. I'll contact you as soon as we arrive." Without waiting for a response, Orochimaru cut out the call. Ozpin cursed under his breath. If the snake wasn't so hard to dispose of, he'd have taken out Orochimaru long ago when he'd been a young, brash youth. A shame that with age came wisdom. He could certainly use some youthful immaturity.

XXXXX

Amber eyes traced the words on the worn page, filling her mind with images of splendor, adventure, romance, drama, and mystery. Well, perhaps not all at once. This particular book was one of her favorites, however. It was nothing more than a silly romance novel, but it was worth re-reading several times, in her opinion. It was a tragic tale of human and Faunus lovers, ostracized by their respective communities because of a forbidden passion that connected them. While Blake would never consider a human as a romantic partner, the thrill was still there.

What would they do? How would they move on? Would they actually stay together or give in to the pressure of their own societies? While Blake knew the answer to all three of those questions, it was the journey that interested her rather than the destination. Once upon a time she may have considered Adam to be her knight in shining armor, but now she knew better. Unless he changed, they could never be more than what she'd left him as. A partner.

"Hey," a soft voice interrupted her concentration. Her eyes closed briefly in frustration, but she held back the sigh that threatened to escape her. Amber eyes glanced upwards and narrowed as they came to view blonde hair and blue eyes. "I just happened to notice you reading over here, and I wanted to see if it was interesting at all?"

"It was," the girl replied, frowning. Her heart raced for a moment before she remembered her bow was on her head. Part of her wondered if the potential racist would have still spoken to her had it been missing.

"That's nice. What's it called?" The blonde inquired further, and Blake stifled a groan. Couldn't this boy get a hint that she wanted him gone? Him and his childish onesie pajamas.

"It's called Divide," she decided to remain polite. The boy's eyes lit up at the name.

"Oh! I've read that," he smiled brightly at Blake. "It's one of my favorites. Normally I like stories with heroes and adventures and stuff, but I really liked how the relationship between Mira and Greyson develops." Blake's eyebrow was raised that the knowledge.

"You... you've read this before?" She asked, showing him the cover. Prior hostility was lost as she tried to wrap her head around what kind of boy was crouching before her.

"Oh, yeah," he laughed at himself a bit. "I have seven sisters, so it was kind of inevitable I'd read some sort of romance books eventually. My older sister, Felia, read it to me when I was younger." The boy paused for a moment, glancing at the window. "I think she ended up getting married to a Faunus, actually. It's been about a year or two since I last talked to her."

"Who are you?" The girl asked slowly, trying to comprehend just how nice the person she'd thought a racist was being.

"Jaune Arc," he offered her his hand. "It's nice to meet you." His smile was absolutely genuine, and Blake couldn't help but stare into his cerulean eyes. "How about you?"

"Blake. Belladonna," Blake revealed her name cautiously, slowly taking his hand and shaking it briefly. "Why exactly did you come over here?"

"Well, ah," he laughed nervously. "I saw you reading and thought I might try and be your friend. My mom always did say that strangers are just friends you haven't met, yet." Whoever had told him that probably was doing their best to comfort an overly shy child. At least, that was what Blake thought. Still, he seemed friendly, but he was still a human. She wouldn't trust him completely.

"I see," was all she responded with. Her eyes glanced back at her book. After a few moments, she heard and felt the boy sit beside her. It was everything she could do to hide her snarl. She'd had it. "I prefer to read in peace," she hissed through clenched teeth. Jaune, the infuriating boy, only laughed at her words.

"Don't worry, you won't even notice I'm here," he told her, obviously reading over her shoulder. "Oh, you're at the part where Mira and Greyson sneak out to get married in secret!" It was weird hearing a boy, a human no less, gush over one of her favorite parts of the book. In fact, it was almost a little creepy. "This is great. This is so good!"

"Please leave," Blake finally asked, not wanting any more to do with the blonde boy. Jaune sighed, but stood after a moment. When she looked up, she met his sad smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Blake," he told her. She didn't hear any insincerity in his voice. Before she could re-think her actions, he walked away. Blake watched his back as he walked towards the opposite side of the room. He didn't look back, but he did seem a bit down. Still, she could now finally complete her book in peace.

"It wasn't a bad try, Jaune," Ruby spoke to her new friend, rubbing his back. "Maybe she's just grumpy because she was in the middle of reading? Yang gets like that sometimes too if I interrupt her washing her bike."

"Yeah, that's probably it," the blonde boy laughed off his own negative attitude, happy that he did have at least one friend here. Even though he'd lied his way in, this was his chance at a new life that Dell had given him. "Maybe she'll be more receptive tomorrow?"

"I wouldn't count on that, lady-killer," the other blonde, Yang, slapped his back as opposed to her sister. Jaune tried to hide his wince of pain, but couldn't help taking a tumble forward by a few steps. "Maybe you need a different target. How about... them?" Yang pointed towards a pale skinned girl with white hair and the darker haired young man that sat beside her. They were both looking down at a brochure that both of them held open with opposing hands.

"They seem pretty caught up in reading," Jaune trailed off. "Don't you think this will end up the same way as with Blake?"

"Nah, the guy seems pretty easygoing," Yang grinned. "He even stopped ol' Weiss over there from going ballistic on Ruby."

"I'm not sure that's a good reason to talk to them," Jaune deadpanned. He had heard the yelling just before the opening speech from Ozpin. Everyone had. "Besides, even if her friend is nice, that doesn't mean that the girl is."

"Here, even Rubes will go with you," Yang shoved her younger sister forward, who had been silently watching the play-by-play between her new friend and her sister.

"W-Wait, let's not get hasty," the younger of the siblings tried to protest, but Yang was already a step ahead by dragging the two towards the silent duo. It was the young man who noticed their approach first. His eyes were a steely calm, but held some sort of amusement at the way Yang was dragging them. "Yang!"

"You!" The girl, Weiss, growled as she glared up at the three of them; namely Ruby. "Why must you follow me around like some lost puppy?"

"Calm down, Miss Schnee," the boy beside her chuckled. "It's only our first day. It would be better to make friends and amends rather than start off as enemies. Wouldn't you agree?" Weiss Schnee sighed at those words.

"Of course, Macht," her professional attitude returned. Her glare was barely hidden as she looked up at the trio before her. The blonde girl's grin was infuriating to look at. "Is there something I can assist you three with?"

"Nope, just making new friends," the blonde was so loud. "The name's Yang Xiao-Long, this is my little sister, Ruby."

"Help me."

"And our friend, Jaune."

"I think I'm gonna hurl."

"Charming," Weiss deadpanned. "Well, I am Weiss Schnee. Now that we've been properly introduced, the three of you can leave. Macht and I have some studying to do and a distraction isn't warranted."

"But uncle Tav!" Someone shouted out from the corner of the room. "I'm totally gonna be a badass Huntress and stuff, what do you mean you won't come and visit Renny and me?" Over in the corner stood a pacing ginger haired girl. Despite her words and whining tone, she still had a massive smile on her face. "Oh, all right! If you promise to come visit later, then I guess I can forgive you." The boy who sat next to her, dressed in green and with black hair, seemed exhausted.

"Speaking of distractions," Weiss glowered, standing up. Her companion, Macht, grabbed her arm.

"It's not worth it, Weiss," he said, making the heiress flush. Jaune, who had long since been released, shared a glance with Yang. "It's about time the lights will be turned out, anyway." His eyes met Yang's and she sent him a flirtations smile. "It was a pleasure meeting you, miss Xiao-Long. If you'll excuse us, we'll be sleeping in just a moment. It would be wise for the three of you to do the same.

"Y-Yeah," Ruby stammered, dragging her pouting sister away. He hadn't even hesitated when he'd spoken to her! "Anyways, goodnight Weiss!"

"Goodnight I suppose," the heiress replied, watching them leave. She turned to her servant after a moment. "You didn't have to entertain them."

"No, but they were entertaining to me," the butler admitted. "As do you. Tomorrow, I expect you to find a partner that isn't me."

"Why?" Weiss asked, trying not to shout her disagreement. "We already work so well together."

"That's precisely why," Macht stated, ruffling her hair. She scowled at him, but didn't stop him. "You and I are perfectly capable as a team, but you and I won't be together for all eternity. You, as a Huntress, will be set with other people during missions. It would be best if you learn to develop synchronization with different styles of fighting early on. Adaptation."

"If you insist," her tone was curt. She certainly wasn't pleased with his request, but couldn't spot any way to refute his words. Not yet, at least. "It's time we went to sleep, don't you think?" she tugged at her sleeping bag and readied it for use.

"Of course, miss Schnee," Macht smiled, rolling his eyes. Tomorrow would be a big day for the both of them.

XXXXX

"How're you feeling?" She asked, sitting back in her chair. This was the only café close by that was open this late at night. It had some nice pastries and drinks, but what really brought it all together was the view of the harbor. Something about the water just made Emerald smile. Her dining companion was enjoying a large steak he'd bought at a different restaurant. the owner was a friend of his and had allowed the purchase.

"I am good," Misha spoke without hesitation. It had been a few months since he'd been released from the hospital. His skin was slightly discolored from his burns, but otherwise he was in perfect health. "Restaurant is almost ready. I will make delicious food once more, soon." He paused to take a bite of his meal. He ate loudly, but Emerald was used to it. "And what of little girl? You are much better then I last saw, yes?"

"Yeah, it's kind of been a while, hasn't it?" Em smiled bitterly. She had Cinder to thank for that. Still, the work was what allowed her to eat at nice places like this. Despite being her protégé of all things, Cinder did pay her for the work she did. At least, she didn't like calling it a stipend. "How've you been since I last saw you? It's been a couple of years."

"Business was good," the large man nodded, though his waist had significantly shrunk from his time in the hospital. "Made good money and fed many people. Is not nice to know you did not say goodbye, but I live."

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize," Emerald sighed. "I got a... well, a job, and I'm so busy that I don't really get to do my own thing all that often." Like seeing the man who treated her as much like his own daughter as he possibly could. "I'm really sorry about that."

Misha held up a hand, giving her a firm look. "Is not bad," he told her. "Misha is glad that little girl found her own way. Tell me, is job good? Has good benefits? Does not mistreat you?"

Em wasn't sure the fact that she probably wouldn't be killed by her boss counted as a benefit. She didn't want another Jaune happening and had kept her distance from the dark haired woman. At least, enough that she could keep her own thoughts on what they did. She refused to let another person abandoning her hurt her. "It's fine," Em dismissed the question.

"Is not fine," Misha rumbled with disappointment. "Employer... is not good person?"

"It's what I have," Emerald sighed. "I really don't have much of a choice. She gave me a chance, and it's kind of the only option I have. It's-"

"Misha understands," his face remained impassive. "Little girls does not need to explain details. Is not good work. Lots of dirty things in job, yes? Misha understands. Did much work behind backs when I was younger. But, but, always a way out."

Emerald pursed her lips as she thought about his words. From what he'd just said, had he done illegal work as well? Was that what he was implying? "Maybe I'll see if I can," she told him. "Will you be going back to your restaurant after it's finished being re-built?"

"Da," the man replied. "Will be looking for new employees. Many places open for work." The green haired girl smiled, contemplating her own life and the decisions she'd made.

"I might look for a new job," she told the man. Her eyes turned towards the harbor. "Tell me, what exactly a job in a restaurant be like?"

XXXXX

A/N: A bit of a short chapter, but setting up for the good things to come. I really don't like introductory arcs, but hopefully this is at the very least passable. I wanted some interactions and to see how the changes I've made in the Innocence arc would make certain characters. Jaune is a bit more honest with himself and Weiss is at least less bitchy as she was before, but is still childish and rather selfish. Anyways, I'd like to thank merendinoemiliano for sticking with me here.

Anywho, please leave a review if you liked the story, or if you saw anything I can do better!

Seeya!


	7. Teambuilding Arc - Initiation Part 1

**Teambuilding Arc – Initiation Part I**

 **XXXXX**

"Wake up, you sleepy head!" The sound of her voice awoke Ren quickly, thought he withheld the sigh that threatened to escape his lips. It was not uncommon for Nora to be up some time before him, but it was another thing for him to appreciate it. Despite his slight irritations, the young man knew that his best friend only meant the best. He was a naturally calm young man, and Nora did her best to make up for his restrained personality by exhibiting her own, unrestrained personality.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to appreciate it the way that Lie Ren did.

It was a way for them to fight against the creatures of Grimm in their own way. The foul monsters fueled themselves on negativity. Ren's calm nature naturally gave them nothing to feed on, and Nora's infectious joy did much the same. While debatable, Ren could almost say that it made the creatures weaker around his orange haired best friend.

The man dressed in green said nothing as he rolled up his sleeping bag. Nora was off in her own little world, but was doing an equal amount of work. While most times Ren would listen to his best friend, he decided that today they would need to remain focused. Though, to be fair, Nora did seem to be talking about initiation.

The morning went on, with Ren brushing his teeth in the communal bathroom. There were some people giving them odd looks, as well as giving Nora lecherous glances. Had Ren been a lesser man, he'd have felt himself inclined to protect her dignity. Fortunately, he knew that she could handle herself just fine. She was excitable, but not unintelligent. There were days she was even more insightful than himself.

Finally, her rant seemed to stop as he was gathering his weapons from the locker that had been assigned to him. She had already gabbed her own weapon, and asked him if he could make the noise of a sloth in order to find one another if it came down to it. "Nora," he held back a smile as she spoke up. She was too adorable, sometimes. Not that he would admit it to her face. she would probably smack him for it.

"Yes, Ren?" She asked, leaning over his shoulder. He could tell that her smile hadn't once left her face. The young man turned to his friend and shook his head.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise," Ren pointed out. That, and he wasn't sure that it would even be necessary. Nora's eyes widened after he made his statement, and there was a good few second pause as she took in what he'd said. He walked towards the doors of the locker-room, knowing that she'd probably intentionally get the wrong idea to his words. Still, her line of thought had some merit. If they were to get separated, it would be prudent to have a way to communicate with one another.

It took a moment for him to realize that Nora hadn't followed him. "Nora!" He called out, receiving a 'Coming, Ren!' in return. It was just like clockwork. The dark haired male supposed that he could forgive her of her inattentiveness. After all, being an orphan was not easy business. After the fall of their home to the Grimm, he and Nora had taken time to explore the world and meditate on the meaning of true strength.

Well, he had taken the time to meditate. Nora had spent more of her time following him and doing what he did. It was during that time that they had met Tavish DeGroot. A man in his forties who had a tendency to drink anything in sight as well as almost singlehandedly defend a village in the wilds of Mistral from any Grimm incursion. Armed with only a pair of explosive launchers and an arsenal of bladed weapons, including several bottles of 'scrumpy', surprisingly enough, the man had taken them in for a few years provided they work jobs around the village.

The first vestiges of training had occurred when Nora had been trapped within the man's armory by a couple of Beowolves. She had fought her way out during that particular invasion using nothing but one of his warhammers that he'd left hanging around. That had gotten the dark skinned man interested in Nora's strength.

They considered him an awful teacher at first. He'd send Nora out alone in the forests that surrounded the village to clear out any Grimm that remained after an attack. She would be armed with nothing more than a grenade launcher or the same hammer she'd used while defending herself in the armory. To say it was irresponsible would be an understatement.

She'd survived, however, and had come out stronger as a result. That was when the 'official' training began, and it almost scared Ren. Close proximity to explosives, the creation of Magnhild, Nora's weapon, as well as loads of property damage. Not to mention the lightning strike while Nora had been out training in the rain after a particularly sugar-filled pancake breakfast. It was only by luck that her Semblance negated the strike, much to Tavish' amusement.

Much could be said about the drunken, one-eyed Mistralian. To say that he was sane had never once crossed Ren's mind. The man was a menace, and was responsible for the many craters that surrounded the town of Gunnery. Still, he did his job well enough so Ren could hardly complain. It only worried him, though, that Nora intended on bringing that man to Beacon at some point to see her progress. The grounds of the prestigious school would likely not last under the gaze of his single, dark eye.

The young man found himself at the entrance to Beacon as the announcement for prospective students to come to the cliffs to the north was announced over the PA system. He smiled at the words. He and Nora were one step away from their chance and destroying the menace called Grimm.

 **XXXXX**

Jaune was not having the best of luck. He'd not only slept in a very awkward angle the night before, but he was pretty sure most of the people around him didn't like him. Well, maybe besides Ruby and Yang, but they were just very friendly. That girl from before, Blake, hadn't stopped giving him glares from across the room since he'd entered. Not only that, but he was having trouble finding his locker. None of them really had any numbers on them, which seemed like a design flaw. Were they trying to teach students to memorize their locker locations?

"Arc," a firm voice shook him from his musings and slowly growing panic. The blonde man turned, facing the man he'd met the night before sitting with the white-haired girl. "There you are. I wanted to wish you well during the initiation."

"Ah, r-really?" Jaune was taken aback at the show of courtesy. "Well, thanks. I'll be sure to do as well as I can!" The young man was shorter than Jaune, but his presence and authoritative air seemed to offset that fact just a little. "I guess you're ready. I mean, look at that... uh," Jaune tried to name the weapon strapped to the young man's back.

"It's a naginata," the man dressed in white helped him along. "I also have a tanto strapped to my side. I appreciate the classics, so I don't really carry around a firearm." He had to have been skilled then, Jaune deduced. "Let me re-introduce myself. My name is Macht Warme, the personal butler of Weiss Schnee."

"Right, I totally remembered that," Jaune lied. Judging by the look on Macht's face, the young man knew he was lying. "Well, good luck to you too, Macht." He offered the Schnee butler his hand, which the butler shook.

"I was wondering if you could do something for me, actually," Macht gave Jaune a smile that suggested he would at least have to listen.

"Ah, yeah?" The blonde inquired, hoping it wouldn't be anything too bad. He stumbled as Macht tossed him a long, slender bladed weapon with a revolving chamber. "What's this?"

"If you could deliver that to miss Schnee for me, I would be very appreciative," the man smiled. "I need to commit to further preparations of my own weapons before initiation begins, and it will take time. Can you handle that, Jaune?"

"Yes, of course!" The blonde smiled nervously. The weapon in his hand looked super expensive! He'd treat it with care. It was elegant looking as well and easy to carry. He could imagine the girl from the night before using it as a weapon. Now, he just had to find her. There couldn't be many people with pure, snow white hair like her, so she must be easy to find. Sure enough, Weiss was easy to find.

She was the only one dressed in all white, after all. As he approached, Jaune noticed that the girl was talking to another, taller person with crimson hair and what looked like bronze armor. "So, Pyrrha," Weiss spoke in a much nicer tone then she had the night before. "I heard that we're going to be set into teams. How about you and I try and get on the same team?" Jaune recognized the nervous smile on Weiss' face. He saw it in the mirror all the time.

"Well, I was thinking about perhaps letting the chips fall where they may," the other girl, Pyrrha, responded. She had a beautiful smile and emerald eyes that entranced Jaune, but he quickly shook off the awe. He had a weapon to deliver, after all.

"Ah, Weiss?" He raised his hand to get the girl's attention. Both of them looked at him; Weiss with a scowl and Pyrrha with her smile. "Macht asked me to deliver this to you." At the butler's name, the Schnee's scowl disappeared. In its place was a smile. A forced smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"Thank you... James?" She tried, only pausing for a moment in attempt to remember his name.

"It's Jaune."

"Jaune. Thank you, Jaune," she corrected herself as he handed the thin weapon over to her. There was an awkward pause as the three of them stood in silence. "You can go now, Jaune."

"Actually, maybe it would be best if I-" Pyrrha slowly inched away, not so sure about the awkward air that was happening between the three of them. Jaune took a step closer to her.

"You have very beautiful hair," he tried to relieve some of the tension. The redhead sent him a curious, if a bit cautious, look.

"Err, thank you?" She spoke slowly, as if he would yell at her if she responded in a different way. "I have been told that my hair is very unique."

"Do you even know who this is?" Weiss asked, noticing the cluelessness of the blonde before her. Her fists were clenched. Couldn't he respect his betters? The snow haired girl took a few deep breaths. No, Macht would scold her if she lost her temper over something so trivial. "This is Pyrrha Nikos, the four time Mistral Regional Tournament champion," she tried a different approach.

"Hello," the redhead waved, a bit uncomfortable.

"Ah, I never really spent a lot of time watching tournaments," Jaune admitted, looking down at his feet. "Sorry, I don't really know anything about you, Pyrrha." He missed the girl's smile widen a bit.

"No, that's absolutely fine," she was quick to dismiss any kind of idea that the information might upset her. "In fact, perhaps we could start again. My name is Pyrrha, it's simply grand to meet you." Jaune had to smile. He'd heard plenty of times that famous figures tended to get big heads and flaunt their names around, but Pyrrha seemed nice.

"The name's Jaune Arc," replied the young man, giving her his best 'charming' smile. He at least wanted to seem like a nice guy to be around. "It's certainly a pleasure to meet you, Pyrrha."

"I must say that I return the sentiment," the champion replied, much to Weiss' abject dismay and disbelief. "I'm looking forward to taking this year to get to know you."

"Heh, yeah, you too," Jaune smiled a bit more brightly, feeling more comfortable as he spoke to the pretty girl. "So, I heard you two were talking about teams earlier?" Jaune took the time to glance at Weiss as well, hoping she didn't feel left out.

"Y-Yes," the Schnee quickly tried to include herself back into the conversation. "We were discussing of whom we might want to form teams with. I suggested to Pyrrha that she and I might want to form a team together."

"I see," the blonde replied, "Well, would there be room for one more?" His voice held a touch of anxiousness to it, and Weiss initially considered rebuking him. He didn't seem all that strong, and he was definitely painfully average. Still, he was here at Beacon so he had to have some skill. Right?

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt..." Weiss spoke slowly, hoping for the best. Macht did tell her to try and interact and work with different people, after all. So why did she feel a shiver roll down her spine as soon as she spoke those words?

 _"Would all prospective students in the 7:00 AM time-group_ _please make their way to the northern cliffs for initiation?"_ The voice of the woman from the evening before, Glynda Goodwitch, rang over the school's intercom system. The announcement repeated itself once more before it silenced.

"I suppose we should be going," Pyrrha smiled, waving to Jaune before heading for the door. "It was very nice meeting you, Jaune."

"Yeah, you too!" The blonde replied. "And nice meeting you as well, Weiss." She stood a little straighter at the comment.

"It's only natural," she replied, but did nothing to hide her smile at his words. At the very least he was respectful. She supposed there was a small blessing in that. The Schnee did not notice amber eyes following her as she left the room.

The walk to the northern cliffs was relatively brief. The cliffside rested just outside of Beacon, and Weiss was happy to see that Macht had already arrived. The headmaster, Ozpin, as well as Ms. Goodwitch were also present, directing everyone to stand on the metal plated that were pressed into the ground. It must have been a way of keeping check of the numbers they had.

Weiss was positioned eighth down the line of panels, with several more arriving after her. she saw that Pyrrha and Jaune were already there, as well as the little girl from the previous day and her sister. There were more that she didn't recognize, even coming after her. It didn't take long for all of the panels to be filled. At that moment, headmaster Ozpin took a step forward.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," he explained at a relaxed pace. "Also, there have been rumors about teams and teammates. Allow me to put those rumors to rest. You will be receiving your teammates today. The first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."

"What!?" Someone down the line shouted. Weiss couldn't tell who, but it sounded annoyingly like the little girl. The outburst, however, went unaddressed by the headmaster and his assistant.

"Your goal is to reach and collect a relic with your partner at the northern edge of the forest," Ms. Goodwitch continued. "Once collecting the relic, you will make your way back to the cliff to complete your initiation."

"Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path," the headmaster added. "Or you will die."

"Yes! Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" Someone further to Weiss' right cheered at the words. The Schnee blinked as something began to whirr and click underneath her feet. she felt the panel shift. That grey haired bastard was going to launch them. The girl sighed, but allowed herself to take her position, preparing herself for launch.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked; a little too late if anyone asked her.

"Uh, sir, I have a-" it would have been hard not to recognize Jaune's voice.

"Good!" She could have been imagining it, but Weiss thought she saw the barest hints of a smile on Ozpin's face. The white haired girl focused as one by one, the applicants to her left were launched. Then, she felt herself catapult into the air. She was ready. After all, what was the worst thing that could happen?

 **XXXXX**

 _A/N: A short chapter, but then again, the video it's based off of is pretty short. I'm sure I could write more and continue a little ways_ _into the initiation, but I want to keep it separate as their own chapters. I have no clue how long it will be, so I guess we'll see how our heroes perform!_


	8. Teambuilding Arc - Initiation Part II

Teambuilding Arc – Initiation Part II

XXXXX

The sound of air rushing past her filled her ears. Below her laid an endless expanse of green, the aptly named Emerald Forest. Her dark hair trailed behind her as amber eyes sought a safe place to land. She spotted a sturdy looking tree, and drew Gambol Shroud. In an instant, she threw the bladed end of her weapon at the trunk, the ribbon connecting the sheath to the actual weapon holding strong. She quickly maneuvered her body so she would fly past the tree.

Once done so, her ribbon held taught and allowed her to twist around the truck, rapidly decelerating her speed. Part of her prayed that the trunk wouldn't break under the force. Thankfully the trunk held strong, and her feet hit the ground. Blake took a roll to disperse the remaining force before pressing the trigger on her weapon, forcefully reeling in the ribbon of her weapon. She felt slight resistance as the blade of the weapon was ripped out of the tree's trunk.

Blake took a brief moment to check her surroundings before she casually started to walk further north. She was in no rush, and would savor her alone time before inevitably being set up with a partner of some sort. There had been very few people that the Faunus would have considered a good partner; at least from what she'd seen the night before, as well as that morning. The only one that stuck out to her was the bespectacled girl she'd seen before. She seemed very similar in nature and appeared to be welcoming of Faunus.

The walk was, thankfully, quiet and relatively peaceful. It was the serene quiet that- "Hello?" An irritatingly familiar voice reached Blake's ears. No, she wouldn't look up. "Hey, could you help me down? Uh, B-B-Blake? Blake, could you help me, please?" Her hands gently balled up into fists. She let out a loud sigh before looking up above her. The hidden Faunus almost laughed at the predicament the boy, Jaune, had found himself in. He was pinned to a tree by the hem of his clothing by a spear, though from who it belonged to Blake wasn't entirely sure. How the young man wasn't being choked to death was beyond her.

"How... did you get up there?" She asked slowly, cursing as their eyes met. Part of her hoped she could move away and discount the meeting, but another said that the professors at Beacon probably had their own ways of telling whom had met who if partnership was made by eye contact.

"Ah, well, it's a funny story," Jaune trailed off before shutting his mouth. It really wasn't all that funny. "Anyways, could you get me down? I, uh, I can't pull the spear out and I really don't want to rip my hoodie even more." Blake sighed at the simple explanation, but nonetheless flung her ribboned blade towards the spear. It smacked against the pole-arm and wrapped around it, allowing the black themed girl to yank it away from the tree. Jaune fell to the ground and grunted upon impact. "Thanks," he muttered, shaking his head to regain his composure.

Blake watched silently as Jaune picked himself up. "Guess this makes us partners," the blonde smiled getting a roll of the eyes in return. The hidden faunus walked past him.

"Let's go and get the relics," she spoke, ignoring his comment. Jaune watched her for a moment before quickly moving after her. He remained quiet, observing her carefully as they headed further north. The forest was quiet for a moment before a girl dressed in white stormed through the brush. Following her was an excitable girl with vibrant orange hair.

"Wait up, partner!" The girl, Nora, exclaimed. "Come one, it was an accident! Bu~ut I gotta say I didn't expect you to be my partner." Weiss was shaking, covered head to toe in particles of ice, soot, and small sparks of electricity would sometimes jump from her body.

"Nor I, you," Weiss grit her teeth, attempting to remain civil. "I will accept the previous altercation as an accident, but I would like for you to promise me one thing." Weiss turned back to the annoyingly loud girl, trying to keep from wringing her neck on the spot. Nora quickly nodded her head, eagerly awaiting Weiss' words. "Never, EVER again try to-"

"Aww, you've got nothing to worry about, Weiss-y!" She was interrupted by the hammer wielding girl. "I'll totally never do that again. Sheesh, I didn't think Dust could do that."

"Then you must have a lot to learn," Weiss responded, trudging on through the forest. "I will be glad when we reach our destination. In the meantime, you could do to quiet down." Surprisingly, Nora followed her request. The young woman tried her best to not look behind her, but relented to her curiosity. There was Nora, following her with that unnaturally happy smile and bright eyes. She skipped through the forest behind the Schnee, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes as she did so. Listening closer, Weiss could hear the Valkyrie humming to herself a jaunty little tune, but it was silent enough that it was, for all intents and purposes, quiet.

"What's up, partner?" Nora asked, noticing the expression on her comrade's face. She was enjoying the changing emotions on her partner's dainty form, able to see both her curiosity and irritation. She didn't want to annoy her new friend, but it just wouldn't do for her to be so uptight and cold! Ren would probably have dealt with this better, but for now it was up to her! There was a moment of silence between the two, which Nora rectified by poking Weiss on the nose. "Boop!"

Normally that was something she saved for Ren and only Ren, but desperate times called for desperate measures!

"E-Excuse me?" Weiss took a step back, shocked that she'd actually been poked by what was essentially a stranger. "D-Don't do that again! It's strange."

Nora only grinned, tilting her head innocently as if it were a completely normal thing to do. Weiss shook her head and groaned. She hoped that Macht was having far more luck than herself.

XXXXX

Across the forest, the young butler walked silently beside his partner. Her eyes were focused on the book in her hand, and he in turn held guide her away from bumping into any trees. The two of them seemed to have come to an agreement; Macht would remain quiet as Paige read if she answered to anything he asked her, or responded to him if he said something worth responding to. Thus far he'd learned that she a faunus friend named Richard, as well as the fact that she enjoyed reading thriller and mystery books. There hadn't been much more discussion between the two of them.

He intended to rectify that. "Your weapon, what is it?" He asked, getting the girl to look up from her book. She spared him a glance before flipping the page. The first she'd done in the last ten minutes.

"You'll see," was her simple response. He could see the barest hints of a smile on her lips. She wanted to make it a mystery. Either that, or she was doing her best to get a reaction out of him. Macht was far more patient than she seemed to give him credit for.

"Do you write any?" He asked instead. That made her pause, but only briefly. "Do you have any interest in writing?"

"Poetry," her response was, once again, brief. It wasn't curt or rude, she just seemed to consider there was nothing else worth saying. Macht took it as it was. He waited for a moment and sent her a look that asked her to go on. "Haiku and whatever inspires me. Short works."

"Interesting," Macht nodded slowly, thinking back on the multitude of lessons Weiss had groaned about as a child. She hated poetry and double-talk. As a Schnee, however, she was encouraged to be well versed in it. He, on the other hand, had been encouraged to be strong with little thought for himself. that hadn't exactly gone as planned. "Does Richard share your hobby?"

"He does not," her fingers twitched as she spoke. The butler assumed there was more to the story that she was unwilling to share for the moment. Silence once more permeated between the two. He was content with it. To his surprise, she was the next to speak. "You work for the Schnee family?"

"I do, yes," Macht new exactly where this line of questioning was going to go, judging by the small shaking of her body. She was trying to work up the courage or the effort for her question.

"That girl you came with is Weiss Schnee?"

"She is."

"Will either of you have a problem with Richard?" She asked the question she wanted to, finally. Macht spared no hesitation in shaking his head. It was good that she hadn't assumed as much, thankfully.

"Weiss and I won't be any trouble," he assured the green haired girl. "I, myself, only have issue with those relating to the White Fang. Weiss is of the same mindset, though she may require a bit of convincing." Paige cocked an eyebrow at the words. "She can be paranoid at times, especially around Faunus. We've had several assassination attempts from friends in the past."

"They were dealt with?" Paige asked, not sure if she'd like the answer. Macht nodded and said nothing more. She let out a soft sight of relief, her fingers unconsciously moving away from the bookmark stuck between the pages of her novel. Part of her was glad that he hadn't felt the need to explain how they'd been dealt with. The two once more walked on through the forest. A flash of darkness caught Paige's vision. she went to call out a warning, only to find that Macht was already moving. In a wide arc, he'd swung the naginata from its strap on his back and slashed the lunging Beowolf into two. His face was firm, not a hint of worry crossing his features.

"Stand back and let me handle this," he instructed her. Before she could protest, he explained himself. "I want to discover what your weapon is when we spar against each other. Don't waste it for these small fries." True enough, they'd only stumbled across a small pack of Beowolves. It would have been child's play for even a beginner at a combat academy.

Macht grinned excitedly as he faced down his four foes, each one facing head on now that they knew the element of surprise had been lost. Their crimson and amber eyes glowed behind the creatures' boney skulled eye sockets. They were standard and par-the-course. He'd dealt with worse while out training in the forests near the Schnee Estate. There was enough negativity in that building to periodically spawn the Grimm close by.

Without a word, the naginata soon flew towards the first of the Grimm, impaling it by the neck against a tree. Paige watched in aw as Macht moved. He was definitely fast, with her only barely able to keep up with his actions. The fight was over in moments. Apparently Macht was strong enough to break the bones of the Grimm only through punches and kicks. Part of her wondered just why in the world he needed a weapon in the first place.

"Let's get moving," he grinned as Paige took in the destruction around them. Several trees had been smashed to pieces and the three Beowolves that he hadn't impaled with his naginata were laying on the ground, their limbs bending in ways that would be considered unnatural. One even had its skull smashed in, leaving fragments of its skull on the ground beside it. It was gruesome.

"Are you always this ruthless?" She asked, a bit frightened. Macht shrugged in response as he yanked his weapon from the tree it had been impaled in.

"Only to true enemies," he replied casually. "The Grimm will do anything they can in order to cause destruction and mayhem. I return the favor." The words made Paige shiver. Not, not the words. It was the emotion behind them. Perhaps it was because she'd gotten used to hiding her own emotions from plain view, but she could tell it in the way Macht's hands tightened into fists and his jaw had been set as he spoke. He was angry. Angry at the Grimm, or something else?

XXXXX

Lie Ren was a patient man. He was able to handle Nora's excitement, after all. Still, his partner was definitely not what he'd expected when coming to Beacon. It wasn't to say that was a bad thing, but having a partner that was two years younger than himself was definitely something odd. Still she had been competent in a fight and was trying her best to prove herself to him, so he would humor her and help her grow as a person. She was definitely talkative, though. Enough for the both of them, not unlike Nora.

"Ruby," he finally interrupted her long winded rant about her sister being unfair to her and ditching her on the first day she'd arrived. He turned to face her, his own pink eyes meeting her golden ones. It was definitely an unusual color to see; not even used in books. "I think we should focus on finding the relics." He tried to keep his voice steady, and added a smile for her benefit.

Ruby seemed to have something of an inferiority complex, apologizing for things that others might find annoying. It wasn't a bad thing, but he didn't want his partner to suffer because of others. He also didn't want her to think he was upset at her talking so much. "Ah, right, sorry," the brunette smiled sheepishly at his words, and he could tell she'd taken them a bit more personally than he'd intended.

"I don't mind you talking," he clarified. "Just stay focused as well. Ok?"

"Yes sir!" Her mood considerably brightened and she gave him a mock salute, walking beside him as soon as they'd continued on their way. They had been travelling for a while, so they must have been fairly close to the relics that the headmaster had spoken about. At least, Ren hoped. A calm man he might have been, but this was beginning to become tedious. "Soooo," Ruby trailed off for a moment as she tried to think of a new topic. Nora did the same thing. "Are you excited about coming to Beacon?"

"We've yet to pass initiation," he pointed out, making Ruby 'Eep'. He smiled, though. "Yes, I am. My friend, Nora, and I came together. I hope her partner can keep up with her."

"Is Nora...?"

"She's a handful for most people," Ren clarified, knowing that his partner probably didn't want to offend him somehow. It was, after all, a simple fact that he'd come to accept from his best friend. He hoped that whomever had gotten stuck with her had the patience of a saint.

XXXXX

Emerald clenched her fists as she stood behind Cinder. Beside her stood their relatively new pick-up, an arrogant asshole named Mercury Black. While normally Emerald was much more patient about arrogance, something about Mercury rubbed her the wrong way. It had to be his voice. His voice was so annoyingly cocky and snide. He had the kind of tone where he was in it for himself, and he wasn't even going to hide the fact. She was as well, but at least she tried to do her job well. Still, the two of them were there for intimidation and little more. After all, getting part of the powers of the Fall Maiden made Cinder almost invincible to most people.

Part of the act made the mint-haired girl sick to her stomach. They'd murdered someone in cold blood for power. Someone who wasn't doing anything wrong, she only wanted to help people. Not to mention that one person that Cinder worked for. The glowing red eyes and deathly white skin of that woman made gave Emerald nightmares. Part of her envied Neo and how excluded she was from the inner workings of this entire operation. Neo didn't have to know that woman, that 'Mother of Grimm', existed. So much had happened since Cinder had found her and given her the offer to join her in exchange for food and shelter. So many regrets.

That led to now. With her standing inside of a White Fang camp, waiting for the sect's leader, Adam Taurus, alongside Mercury and Cinder. She wanted nothing more than to slaughter the animals around her, make them pay for what they did to Misha and his restaurant. To even consider their help, Cinder had to have been insane! Even more than ever before did Emerald regret joining the woman. There was no way out, though. She knew too much and would be killed if she tried to escape. She was trapped, much like she'd been all those years ago. This time, though, there was no blonde boy to save her.

She wondered absently if he still remembered her. The thoughts kept her mind away from the hatred she felt for the animals around her. Her body was on autopilot, and she was only half listening to her boss and the faunus speak. She didn't want to be here. She didn't want to keep doing these things. For the gods' sake, she was just a thief! She was just an orphan and was way over her head. Her fists clenched as she purged the thoughts from her mind. The young woman couldn't appear weak. Not in front of Cinder, and not in front of the faunus.

Emerald's eyes moved towards Mercury. He caught her gaze and rolled his eyes in return, giving her a brief shrug. The young woman hid a smile. At least she wasn't completely alone. Despite being a prick, it seemed like Mercury had the same thoughts as her. The two of them were both far out of their league and had signed up to something completely nuts.

XXXXX

"Think this is it?" The blonde asked her partner. The redhead gave her new friend a knowing smile before they both descended towards the ruins. Yang Xiao-Long grinned throughout their brief walk, rolling her shoulders to stretch them out and keep them limber. Who knew what they'd come across on the way back to the cliffs? As they got closer, she noticed a series of pedestals, each one with game pieces on them. "They appear to be chess pieces," Pyrrha noted aloud. "I suppose these are the artefacts that the headmaster spoke of." Yang locked on to one and swiped it from the pillar.

"Hey, how about a cute little pony?" She asked, grinning. Her partner nodded, returning the smile. Yang had gotten lucky with a partner who was both strong and seemed to enjoy her enthusiasm. "Some of the pieces are missing, so I guess we weren't the first ones here, huh?"

"It appears not," the champion replied. "I wouldn't mind if we met with-"

"Wheeeeeehaw!" A loud voice yelled with glee from the brush. Yang and Pyrrha both readied their weapons as they saw an Ursa lumber from the treeline, only for a pink explosion to send it crumbled to the ground. From off its back stood a girl wearing a white shirt and a pink combat skirt. "Awww, it's broken."

"A-Are you insane!?" A second voice joined hers, and Weiss Schnee stumbled off of the Grimm's back. "You could have gotten us killed! O-Or severely injured!" The heiress was doing her best to scold her partner, but she was so out of breath that her words were lacking their usual bite. "Nora?" It was only a moment later that she noticed her partner was missing.

"I'm queen of the castle~ I'm queen of the castle~ La la la la la~" Nora sang as she picked the rook piece from the pedestal. Weiss groaned, slowly moving over to join the energetic ginger.

"Please stop..." She pleaded, exhausted. Pyrrha and Yang shared a glance.

"She... rode an Ursa through the forest," the redhead noted, stunned at the sheer possibility.

"Well-"

"R-Run! Run!" A blue haired young man dashed through the clearing towards the ruins. He had a panicked expression on his face as he hid behind one of the pillars.

"Raaaah! Die, Deathstalker scum!" A more masculine voice growled out. Following the blue haired young man was a grey haired wolf faunus who had leapt back. He swung his two bladed axe towards the trees just in time for the aforementioned Deathstalker to burst out from them. The swing saw the axe's blades glow red before releasing a shockwave of fire towards the Grimm. It slammed into the Deathstalker, but did nothing to stop it completely.

"I'm really not sure what's going on right-"

"Look out below!" A high pitched voice screamed from above them.

"Ruby?" Yang's eyes widened, recognizing the voice immediately. The five undistracted prospects looked up towards the sky.

"She's going to fall," Pyrrha warned the blonde.

"Nah, she'll be fine."

"She's falling."

"Aaaaaaaaah!" Ruby screamed before being caught in her sisters arms. "Ow... Yang?"

"Ruby?"

"Ren!" Nora pointed upwards at the Nevermore that was now circling around them. It tried to bite something, but jerked to the side as something struck it. The falling man, Ren, cursed under his breath as he descended.

"Even Nora never pulled something like this," he muttered to himself as he prepared to strike the ground. Ren landed on his feet and rolled, trying to disperse as much of the force of his landing as he possibly could. "That was... not ideal," he spoke up, turning to his partner. His world was filled with orange hair. "Nora?"

"Ren!" The young man felt his ribs become crushed as his childhood friend embraced him in a bear hug. "you're ok! I knew you'd be ok. I mean, you're like, super strong. Not as strong as me, obviously. I mean, like, physical strength. You're toootally as strong as-"

"Nora," Ren interrupted her.

"Yes Ren?"

"I get what you mean," his best friend shot him a cheeky smile. the girl dressed in white beside her, Nora's new partner, he presumed, gave him a look of awe. "I'm used to it," he explained simply.

"Teach me," she seemed to beg.

"Argh, I can't take this anymore!" Yang shouted, her eyes glowing red. "Can we have five seconds without something absolutely crazy happening!?" The entire group went silent, save for the faunus who was still fighting the Deathstalker. Weiss noticed as a familiar butler and bookworm arrived from the treeline. Macht looked amused at everyone gathered up, while the girl seemed less than interested, though she did take glances at the faunus. The butler smiled at his charge and seemed to nod his approval towards her, making her flush. She never noticed the knowing glance that Nora gave her.

"Thank you," Yang sighed. "Now, we need to get back to-"

"Aaaaaaaaah!" A light colored blur flew out from the treeline and slammed against the pillar that Krill was hiding behind, making him jump. The young man, Jaune, groaned as he tried to regain his bearings. "Ow," he mumbled. "Ow, ow, ow." Following him was a girl dressed in black. She seemed to scowl as she saw the group, but hid it after a moment.

"Get ready, we have-"

A massive bellow called out from the forest, and the leaves on the trees shook as a result. "Shit," Blake cursed. She looked over at the Deathstalker as well as the Nevermore circling above them before repeating herself. "Shit."

XXXXX

Moments earlier

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Jaune asked, trudging along through the forest with his partner. Blake didn't speak a word, simply moving ahead at a somewhat brisk pace. she didn't want to speak to her new partner. This wasn't going to be any good. Part of her was convinced that he was a racist, but he had been so nice the night before. Someone that nice and earnest couldn't possibly be a bad person, right?

Wrong, Adam had been the same way to her before he was led astray. Now he hated humans so much that he'd kill them even if they'd done nothing wrong. Jaune had to be the same. He might appear happy-go-lucky on the outside, but he was filth that needed to be dealt with one way or another. Blake grunted and pushed past a low hanging tree-branch, letting it swing after her. "Ow!" Jaune's voice caught her hearing, and she rolled her eyes before turning to face him. "Ah, that stings."

A decent-sized cut marred his left cheek. "Why didn't you activate your Aura?" She asked, trying to hide the growl from her voice. Jaune wouldn't meet her eyes. "Well?"

"I uh, don't have it unlocked," he admitted, surprising the faunus. How had he gotten this far? "I was trained outside of the city walls, and my teacher didn't have his Aura unlocked either, so... I never got mine unlocked." Now that he'd pointed it out, she could see a few scars around his hands and arms. He'd trained without Aura, and the marks on his body proved it. He must have been much stronger than he looked. Still, it would be a hassle to look after someone who didn't have their Aura unlocked.

"Come here," Blake sighed, reaching forward. Jaune's eyes widened as she grabbed his forehead, but he didn't move away. His cheeks flushed, however. It made Blake frown. He wouldn't have showed the same reaction if her ears were on display. "For it is in passion that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a figurehead of change and equality to change those around us. Driven by love and unbound by our failures, I release your soul, and by my hand, release thee." The drain was instant, and Blake felt herself stumble.

Jaune was quick to catch her, though, and helped her stand upright. "H-Hey, are you ok?" she appreciated the concern, at least.

"I'm fine," she tried to keep her tone flat as she regained her strength. "Unlocking Aura takes a lot out of someone. I'll be fine." Her eyes glanced to his fresh wound, which slowly healed itself as his Aura began to come to the surface. "You... have a lot of Aura."

"That's a good thing, right?" Jaune asked, curious like a child. It almost made Blake laugh. almost.

"It is, but you have to train yourself to utilize it," Blake explained. "We should keep moving. Aura is... it's tricky."

"Tricky how?" Her partner asked as they continued to walk. Blake took a moment to think of a way to describe it.

"Aura in of itself is the soul of the person brought to the surface," she spoke, trying to find the right words. "You know that negative emotions draw the Grimm towards people, right?" He nodded. "When your soul, your being, is brought to the surface, your emotions are made clear through your Aura."

"It makes it easier for you to sense?" Jaune guessed. Blake nodded in response. "That's... kind of scary."

"It's why civilians don't commonly have their aura unlocked," Blake continued. "It's also why Hunters used to be thought to bring bad luck. Before Vale's walls rose, areas with Hunters would bring in multitudes of Grimm that were close-by."

"I guess that makes sense," Jaune gave her a smile. "You're really nice when you aren't being silent." Blake ignored the flush on her cheeks and forced herself to scowl. The trees rustled. "Hey uh, Blake? So about drawing the Grimm... We'll be ok, right?"

"You're not scared, are you?" She taunted him. Jaune chuckled nervously. "We'll be fine. I think I see a clearing ahead." As well as a lot of shouting.

"Uh, Blake?" She ignored him. He really talked to much. "Blake." The faunus frowned. What could- "Blake, watch out!" She felt herself be shoved to the side, and before she could shout out in surprise or reprimand him, a massive tail slammed against him, where she had just been standing, and Jaune went flying through the forest towards the clearing. Blake looked back and saw a massive serpentine face glaring at her.

"Shit," she cursed before taking off after Jaune. "Shit!"

XXXXX

"Great, the gang's all here. Now we can all die together!" Weiss didn't appreciate the blonde's sense of humor. She had no intention of dying here or now. Not when she had so much do to with her life. That one faunus was holding up the Deathstalker, and there was no telling for just how long he'd be able to hold it. The Nevermore was circling above them, and it was only a matter of time before it would take its chances and try to attack them. Then there was THAT. In front of her, coiled up nice and neatly was an Emperor Taiju, something she'd only read about with her sister and Macht.

"They only have one head," one of the boys, Ren, spoke.

"They're much larger and stronger than King Taiju," Macht continued to inform the rest of them. His voice was firm and strong, something that helped calm Weiss a little. "But the singular head makes them easier to deal with in a large group. You only need to worry about one end." Its glowing eyes observed them all, as if looking for the weakest link among them all. The girl from earlier was helping pick up Jaune Arc, and her partner looked too excited to be considered anything near sane.

"How do we do this?" The blue haired boy asked. "These are all really strong monsters."

"I got it!" The smallest of them all, little Ruby Rose, ran forward with her weapon ready.

"Hold it there, little lady," Macht, grabbed the girl by her cape, yanking her back. "We need to work all together in tandem. We'll separate into teams, four each. After all, don't Hunters often fight in groups of four?" They did. At least, when they weren't off solo. "His words seemed to have the effect he was aiming for, though."

"Hey, who made you boss?" The other blonde spoke up; the one who had thrown a tantrum. "I'm ready to kick some ass!"

"Nobody, but do you have a better plan?" Macht asked. That shut up the annoying girl. "Right, we break in five. One."

The Emperor Taiju roared at them, it was a mix between a hiss and a loud trumpet.

"Two."

Weiss found herself slowly counting under her breath alongside her butler. Just this once she'd follow his head. Her breathing became heavier as she readied herself to fight.

"Three."

The grey haired faunus slammed past them, the Deathstalker in pursuit. He was caught by the girl holding a book.

"Four."

The Nevermore shrieked and dove towards them. The Emperor Taiju lunged. The Deathstalker slammed against the temple's pillars.

"Five!" With a series of battle cries, the prospective students around her each chose their target and attacked.

XXXXX

Up on the cliffs, headmaster Ozpin watched out over the forest. His eyes seemed to see everything, even without seeing. His assistant, Glynda, watched the students on her scroll. "Are you sure you don't want us to interfere, Ozpin? An Emperor Taiju is far outside the realm of what students are expected to handle."

"They will pull through," the silver haired man replied, his words cryptic. Glynda held back a sigh. Ozpin was strange at the best of times, and downright infuriating at the worst. She hated it when he made decisions like this and never explained why. It was definitely a pain in the ass to deal with on a daily basis. Still, he and she made sure that things ran as safely as possible.

"I'll have professor Port stand by just in case," she mentioned anyway. She noticed the glance that her boss gave her. "As much as he boasts, he rarely exaggerates," she explained herself before pausing. "At least, I think so. Nonetheless, I'll have someone stand by."

"If you want," Ozpin replied to her. He took a sip of the coffee in his mug, once more looking over the forest. "These students are quite interesting. I look forward to seeing their performance."

XXXXX

Sorry about the late chapter! Work has been becoming a hassle and my internet connection right now is nil to none, so getting chapters out won't be the easiest thing for a while. I can only write and post while I'm at work, now.


	9. Teambuilding Arc - Initiation Part III

Teambuilding Arc – Initiation Part III

XXXXX

Macht had only lost against one person in his entire life, and that was against Yuki Schnee. The list probably would have been longer had he been willing to face those from Atlas' Hunter academy, but even he knew that he wouldn't have stood a chance against them. Yuki, though, never took 'No' for an answer and would promptly wipe the floor with him during each spar.

The young man learned from each experience, however. He had been trained and beaten and trained again, and refused to let an Emperor Taiju be the end of him. He, the blue haired boy; Krill, Richard, and Paige had all rushed the giant Taiju as soon as he'd spoken the word "Five". In the corner of his eye, he could see one group positioning themselves to fight the Nevermore and the other to fight the Deathstalker.

Macht didn't bother using his weapons. The scales on an Emperor Taiju were hard enough to negate all but the strongest of blades or anything enhanced by wind-based Dust.

He was the first to strike, twisting to roundhouse kick the monster. The Taiju, though, weaved around his kick to avoid most of the limb. His foot scraped against the scales, doing hardly any damage to the Grimm. "He's agile!" Macht warned the other three as the tail of the monster made to smack him out from midair. Fortunately, he reacted fast enough to use the tail as a springboard to the ground. Macht rolled to disperse the force as Richard's blade glowed red like before. The faunus leapt into the air, swinging twice before landing and sending two flaming shockwaves to the giant snake.

The Taiju easily batted away the Dust-powered strike, and hissed with anger. It quickly slithered between the four of them, knocking Krill aside before slamming its torso into Macht. The young man grunted, sliding back at the impact as his feet marked the ground, skidding in the dirt. The other boy was cowering, having tumbled back when he'd been struck.

"Dammit, do something, kid!" Richard shouted to his partner. Krill's eyes widened as the Taiju sensed his fear and panic. Glowing red eyes met his own. The Taiju finally pieced together that he was the weakest link, and charged the boy.

"Look out!" Paige tried to reach him, moving unusually fast with a book still in her hand. She wouldn't be close enough, though. "Get back!"

"GO AWAY!" Krill finally screamed, thrusting his hands out. His eyes were shut tight out of fear. In an instant, the Taiju stopped in its tracks. After a passing second, it was blasted back against the ruins, making the stone structure crumble on top of its massive body. The other three's eyes were wide as they looked at the blue haired male. Krill shuddered, and his normally purple eyes were now glowing. A cocky grin spread across his face. "Hah... hah! I got it! I did it!" A wide, toothy grin replaced the one on his face previously. "Die, Grimm!"

Krill made a shoving motion to the ground behind him, and flew into the air towards the Taiju. He reached to the weapons at his side, a pair of tonfa, and spun them by the side handles. A pair of blades popped out from the shorter ends, and he reared his right hand back to stab the temporarily stunned snake.

"Don't!" Macht tried to warn the boy. "Its scales are too hard to pierce!" Krill was already descending towards his target, however. The Taiju's eyes opened and its maw widened to eat the incoming boy. Krill was laughing despite the obvious danger he was in.

"Hah!" Paige shouted, and a flurry of white squares knocked Krill out of the way from the Emperor Taiju. He slammed into the ground before the squares flew towards Paige. She held her bookmark in her hand, and its tip glowed green. The pages were missing from the book she always carried around. The squares, the pages of her book, Macht realized, quickly brushed against her bookmark before they each were glowing a minty green as well.

"That's, wind Dust?" he asked aloud. Richard was grinning, his axehead was literally on fire, but it didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Yep," the faunus confirmed. "Paige is totally stronger than me, and her bookstick there has all sorts of different dust stored inside it for her Semblance." Paige frowned at her friend as she adjusted her glasses further up the bridge of her nose.

"Please, don't gloat about something so trivial," she scolded Richard with a calm tone. "Also, it's a bookmark. Not a 'bookstick'." She turned to Krill and sighed. "Next time try to think abolut your actions. You would have died if I weren't here." Krill didn't speak a word, only looking towards his savior with awe.

"It's coming again," Paige snapped their attention back to their foe. With a wave and a flick of her bookmark, Paige sent the pages flying towards the Taiju. The massive beast hissed in rage as she focused her pages around its face, disorienting the creature's senses with the Dust she'd used. Richard turned to Macht.

"Can you hurt it?" he asked. Macht nodded.

"I can break its bones with a clean hit," the butler replied. "It can sense me before I get close, though. I'm either not fast enough or it can feel my footsteps." Richard nodded and twisted his hold on his axe as if it were a giant fan instead of a sharp weapon.

"Jump." The order was brief and abrupt, but Macht followed it anyway. Richard's axe glowed a minty green and he swung as hard as he could the blade perpendicular to the ground. A massive wave of energy slammed into Macht, and he felt himself propelled towards the Taiju at a great speed. He was briefly taken off guard, but in an instant his eyes steeled. His hand reared back to strike and thrust forward as soon as he was close enough.

The butler heard something break, and thankfully it wasn't his fist. The Taiju roared in pan and writhed its body, now twisting at an unnatural angle due to the hit he'd landed.

"Get back!" Richard shouted. Macht quickly moved away from the Grimm, its tail having impaled the spot where hs stood just a moment earlier. "Paige, pepper it!"

"Right," the girl responded, her bookmar's tip now glowing a pale blue. the pages of her book once more returned, changing to the matching color as soon as they brushed her bookmark only to fly back at the snake. Where they struck, hints of ice sprouted on its scales. The ice forced the Grimm to slow, freezing its internal body temperature slowly,, but effectively.

"Krill, get its eyes!" Richard shouted, running at the beast, himself. Krill yelled loudly, his eyes still glowing as once more he thrust himself into the air. "Blast them out!"

"Yippie kai yay, you bastard!" the blue haired boy shouted, only to be knocked out of the air by an orange haired bullet. Both he and Nora slammed into a nearby tree, dazed and confuzed.

"Nora!" Macht heard Weiss and Ren both cry out.

Across the field, Weiss's blade was blocking the stinger of the Deathstalker. Both Blake and Jaune were doing their best to whittle down its armored hide, but were having little success in doing so. Jaune was focused more on defending himself from the pincers of their enemy, and Blake's weapons weren't doing nearly enough to harm it. Nora, their only heavy-hitter besides Jaune, had been flung to the side when she'd been hit by a stray pincer.

The blonde grit his teeth as he shoved his shield forward, hearing the Taiju roar once more as it recovered just a bit. He ignored the noise as best he could, rolling out of the way fron the stinnger. "Weiss, go and get your partner!" he shouted to the Schnee. She looked ready to protest. "Blake and I can keep it busy, make sure that Nora is ok!"

"R-Right," the heiress agreed for the moment, running to her dazed partner. Jaune turned his attention to the Deathstalker just in time to block another strike from its stinger. He grabbed the pistol strapped to his hip and shot a few rounds into the Grimm's eyes. It squealed in pain before slamming its pincer against his side, sending him flying. He rolled against the ground and stood. Blake landed next to him as the Grimm approached once more.

"Can you keep it busy until we get Nora back?" he asked, eyeing the two others. Weiss was talking to her partner and helping her stand. He was breathing heavily, looking to the other people on the field. Macht and his group were trying to get Krill to recover while avoiding the Taiju's now wild strikes. Ruby and her group were in the trees, trying to land potshots on the Nevermore and avoiding it when it came down to attack. "We're not going to get anywhere like this. we have to finish this fast and help the others."

"How?" Blake asked, her breathing just as heavy as her own. She'd been using her Semblance to dodge any stray attacks that had been sent her way, and it was taking its toll on her. "This isn't working. We don't have the power to break this thing's armor." Jaune thought for a moment.

"We don't," he agreed aloud. "But I know people who do. Go and get Ruby and her friends to start attacking the Taiju. I'll get Macht and his friends to take care of the Deathstalker."

"What about us?" Blake asked. He gave her a look that made her shiver. Out of fear or excitement, she wasn't exactly sure.

"How good are you at catching birds?"

XXXXX

Pyrrha was not having a good day. It had been fine before, but the Nevermore seemed to refuse to get close to them so they could fight it properly; and their firearms were doing next to nothing against its strong feathers. That is, if they hit. The Grimm seemed to expertly dodge their rounds, which was not at all surprising. Given the size of the creature, it had to be fairly old and experienced in the ways of fighting humans. The champion specialized more in close combat, something that she could tell the rest of her friends specialized in as well. Open, long-ranged fights were definitely out of the question when it came to their fighting styles.

The Nevermore once more dived towards them. "Duck!" Ruby shouted, and the four of them fell beneath the trees to avoid the Grimm's deadly talons and feathers. If it were smaller, perhaps they could have faced it outright when it dove towards them.

Pyrrha felt a rush of air pass over them as the Nevermore swooped down. In an instant, she and the rest of her friends were back in the trees, hoping a lucky shot would taking the flying creature down.

"Hey!" a familiar voice reached her ears. Pyrrha watched as the girl who dressed in black; Blake, was it? She came forward and grabbed Ruby's arm. They spoke briefly before Ruby shouted out to the rest of them.

"Everyone, retreat!" the red-themed girl called out. Pyrrha hesitated, but followed her partner's lead when Yang once more descended blow the tree's branches. Ruby and Ren joined them as Blake ran off towards her partner. "We're switching targets," Ruby explained to them. "Jaune and his group offered to take out the Nevermore if we go and fight the Taiju."

"Are you sure about this, sis?" Yang asked, concerned for her sister. "That thing is seriously powerful. We might have an easier time fighting the Nevermore."

"When I looked over, I saw that the Grimm was injured and unable to move as quickly," Ren spoke up and rested a hand on his partner's shoulder. "I trust this decision."

"We'd have a strategic advantage," Pyrrha offered aloud, glancing at her partner. "It would be for the best. Right now, we can't fight the Nevermore as we are." The three of them looked towards Yang before she raised her hands in surrender.

"Hey, hey, if you guys wanna go switch targets, I'm cool with that," the blonde gave them each a nervous laugh. Pyrrha smiled.

"We need to distract that thing long enough for Jaune and his group to get here," Ruby told them. "So let's give it everything we got!"

"Right!"

The four of them once more ascended the trees and fired more rounds into the Nevermore. One by one, they included Dust in their ammunition to deter the Grimm from swooping down at them again. It only took a few minutes, but their distractions finally paid off.

"Noraaaaa, SMASH!" Pyrrha watched in awe as Ren's childhood friend flew through the air. the redhead looked back, and saw a series of circular, yellow glyphs on the ground surrounding Blake. The ribbon of her weapon was extended, with Jaune now gripping the other end. Weiss motioned towards the two of them and he span, being swung around by Blake before finally letting go and being launched into the air right behind Nora.

"Guys, the Taiju!" Ruby's voice snapped them out of their awe and the four of them quickly ran to the now unoccupied snake Grimm. Macht and his group were already putting the Deathstalker through its paces, the Grimm unable to dodge the incoming heavy strikes that were breaking through its armor.

Nora slammed into the Nevermore, charged with electricity from the Dust in her partner's weapon. The electricity in her body as well as the extra strength transferred into the Nevermore, making it shudder and screech in pain. Jaune followed suit, stabbing his blade into the wing of the bird as he held on for dear life. Air rushed past him, and his hands gripped the hilt of Crocea Mors tightly. "This was a bad idea," he shouted at himself. "This was a very BAD IDEA!"

"Awww, don't fret Jaune-y!" Nora grinned, raising back her hammer as she stood on the Nevermore's back. she held steady even as it tried to shake her off. "The flight's about to come down! Whooo!"

"W-Wait, Nora, don't!" Jaune protested just before the ginger girl slammed her hammer down into the Nevermore's back. A loud crack could be heard, followed by a BOOM before the Grimm quickly started to descend, the force of the strike hard enough to send it land-bound. "Aaaaaaaah!"

"That girl is in trouble!" Richard shouted, blocking a hit from the Deathstalker's pincer. Macht's fist slammed against its face, cracking the shell of the arachnid Grimm even further.

"Ignore it," Paige frowned as she spoke, sending her pages to sweep the Grimm off of its feet once more. The stumble allowed Krill to shove himself towards the Grimm's tail, slicing at the stinger's joint again. "Focus on our fight."

"Right," Richard grinned. "Paige, tail!" Without a word, his best friend's pages turned green and sliced easily through the now loosened limb, cutting it off completely. It impaled itself slightly into the Deathstalker's carapace. "Macht!"

"Fling me," the butler nodded in understanding. He leapt over Richard and the faunus' axe glowed green again. He swung upwards and the shockwave blasted Macht into the air. Richard cursed under his breath.

"Not high enough," he turned to Krill. "Krill, boost him!"

"Fuck yeah!" the boy shouted with excitement. He dropped his tonfa and blasted himself into the air. Once he drew close to the butler, he thrust his hands at Macht and thrust the young man higher into the air while blasting himself towards the ground. Richard and Paige both caught him before he could become intimate with the soil as Macht reached his peak.

"Watch me," the butler grunted, looking towards his charge. She and her group were wailing on the Nevermore, having clipped its wings. His eyes, though, met hers. "This is what I will do to protect you. The lengths I'll go. I'll..." He descended, his fists clenched. "I'll even destroy the world if it would protect you!" His fist made contact with the stinger, shoving it, and himself, completely through the Deathstalker. His fist slammed into the ground, making the ground shake as an explosion of dirt and dust rose from where he landed.

Yang watched the dust settle at where Weiss' butler had landed. They'd finished their fight with the Taiju only moments earlier, the crippled snake no match for their brutal punishment. The blonde whistled appreciatively, looking on at the crater he'd made with his gravity-assisted punch. "Looks like he made that Deathstalker bite the dust. Eh? Eh?" Her precious little sister groaned at the pun, and Ren gave her a patronizing smile alongside her partner. "You guys suck."

Macht stood in the middle of the small crater to recover before joining his group. The four of them watched as the Nevermore faded away with a final strike from Blake, before they, too joined the rest of the groups. Weiss didn't speak a word to him, but she had wrapped her arms around his own right arm as they all made their way back to the cliffs.

Everything was silent; the exhaustion of their battles finally hitting them as the adrenaline wore off. It was a lengthy walk back, and they'd had to ascend another cliff to finally make it back to the main one they'd been launched off of. Beacon was in the distance, close enough to hear the hustle and bustle of the school even from a fair distance away. Jaune could hear the sighs of relief come from those around him, as well as from himself. They'd made it.

A tremor in the ground made them all stop. Fear gripped the Arc's heart and stomach. They were done. They had to be! They'd gotten so close!

"M-Maybe it was just a tremor?" Pyrrha offered optimistically, but she couldn't quite believe her own words. They were aspiring Hunters. Nothing happened without cause around them. Jaune's eyes met Blake's.

"Bad luck, huh?" he asked her. He saw the girl frown even further before returning to it's normal, tired expression. "What are the chances?"

"Statistically impossible," Paige added helpfully. The ground rumbled again; more violently. All twelve of the warriors readied themselves, preparing for the words as the tremors became more violent. As quickly as it had begun, however, the tremors stopped. The twelve aspiring Hunters waited for a long minute before moving on, each cautious step following the next.

Once they'd reached the cliffs, they were greeted by Deputy Headmaster Glynda Goodwitch, while headmaster Ozpin was noticeably absent. When Ruby tried to ask about him, Goodwitch had answered that he had gone to check on something several minutes before. It wasn't hard to put two and two together.

XXXXX

"Cardin Winchester. Russel Thrush. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark," Glynda announced their names as they approached the stage. The naming and team-designation ceremony had proceeded for about an hour, and was ending with the day's earliest initiates. "The four of you received the black Bishop pieces, and as such will be placed together as Team CRDL (Cardinal), led by Cardin Winchester." The blonde nodded towards them as the four left the stage, having had their moments of fame. She red the next team's name from the list on her Scroll.

"Richard Bright. Paige Leaftree. Macht Warme. Krill Master." The four students walked onstage as their portriats were placed on the monitor behind her. "The four of you retrieved the white Pawn pieces, and will be placed together as Team BLWM (Biolume), led by Richard Bright." The three others applauded the faunus boy's position, making Glynda smile inwardly. She had worried that Macht would cause trouble due to his upbringing, but he seemed in control of himself at the moment. She gave them each a firm nod as they left the stage.

"Ruby Rose. Yang Xiao-Long. Pyrrha Nikos. Lie Ren." She waited for the four students to come to the stage. Ruby was blushing at the attention she was receiving while her older sister had a wide grin on her face. "The four of you retrieved the white Knight pieces, and will be placed together at Team RYPR (Reaper), led by Ruby Rose." Ruby's wide eyes begot her shock, and Glynda offered her a brief, hopefully comforting smile. "Congratulations young lady," she spoke lowly so the microphone wouldn't pick up her voice. She kept a straight face, even as she observed Ruby's team hugging and congratulating her.

It took her a bit to usher them off-stage. She inwardly sighed before reading off the final four names that Ozpin had left her. "Jaune Arc. Weiss Schnee. Blake Belladonna. Nora Valkyrie," she spoke slowly. This was the team she'd had the most doubt about, and one she wanted to watch closely. The four students stood center-stage. "The four of you retrieved the white King pieces," she continued. "As such, you will be placed together as Team JWBN (Auburn), led by Jaune Arc."

"What!?" Weiss protested.

"What!?" Blake followed suit.

"What!?" Jaune couldn't belive his ears.

"What!?" Nora echoed the three of them, getting a curious look from the rest of her team. She shrugged. "Everybody else was doing it," she grinned as she justified herself. Weiss inwardly seethed as Blake shot her partner a deadly glare. Glynda, once more, inwardly sighed. She just knew that team would tear itself apart.

"This is looking to be," she sighed lowly to herself, "a very stressful year."

XXXXX

Ozpin watched as the girl fidgeted and writhed in her unconscious state. He waited patiently, if not heavily stressed, as he tried calling the man through his Scroll once more. It pained him to see the girl in such a sorry state, but he needed her kept alive until they could find a new, suitable host for her power. Quite a few new candidates had made themselves known in his school, so he would observe them carefully to see the potential they had.

Ozpin felt his Scroll stop shaking as it rang. "What is it that you need, dear headmaster?" the sly voice of his associate spoke through the speakers. He held up the Scroll so it would show his face. Snake-like eyes stared back into his own. "Don't tell me that you've gone and destroyed my machine. You need your Maiden alive for the process, don't you?"

"It isn't broken," the headmaster responded, keeping his voice calm and controlled. "There were complications earlier, however?"

"Oh?" Disinterest oozed from the other man's tone.

"The machine you designed had a brief critical failure and released some of Amber's power as a result," Ozpin explained. "It caused tremors in Beacon and in the Emerald Forest as a result."

"Kukukuku~" Orochimaru chuckled, rolling his eyes at his associate. "Power like hers is not so easily contained," he explained to the silver haired man. "It needs to regularly release the said power, or your dear Maiden just might burn herself up from the inside. You wouldn't want that now, would you?"

"I suppose not," Ozpin spoke slowly. "Is there any way to lessen the bursts?"

"You could use her power for something else," the snake-like man suggested. "You could save quite a lot on your electricity bill, I'm sure."

"I won't abuse her-"

"Please, you'd be doing her a favor, dear headmaster," the man interrupted his colleague. In the background of the call, Ozpin could hear a roar and several screams. Orochimaru remained unfazed. "Now, I must return to the capture. Be a good man and allow Amber's power to seep out slowly and provide fuel for your school, Ozpin. I wouldn't want a tragedy on your hands because of some measly tremors." The call disconnected, and Ozpin sighed.

He looked back upon the Maiden and closed his eyes in contemplation of Orochimaru's words. After a pregnant moment, the headmaster pulled up his scroll once more. His thumb hovered over the name of one of his trusted friends. The Scroll ran lowly as he contacted the person. It wasn't long before a chiseled face occupied the screen. "Oz?"

"Hello, General," Ozpin took a sip of his coffee before addressing the man. "I'm afraid I'll have to skip the pleasantries. When will you next be in Vale? I need one of your geniuses to take a look at rewiring some things for our... resident occupant."

XXXXX

Emerald slowly moved towards the door, her heart racing. On her back was a small knapsack full of things she held dear. Just a few of her favorite books as well as a small tri-colored bracelet that Neo had given her about a month back. This was her chance. After weeks of planning, Emerald was going to put her life on the line. She didn't belong with Cinder. She didn't belong with this entire group and this whole crazy plan. She was just a girl from the streets in way over her head. She needed to get away.

Her hand grasped the door handle before she found herself drawing her weapon and pointing it at- Neo. The girl let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding as her arm relaxed. "Hey there, Sundae," she spoke in a hushed tone. The low lights of the warehouse illuminated them just enough for them to see one another. "What are you doing awake?" Neo pointed to the fridge. Em smirked. "Raiding the freezer again?"

Neo nodded, before pointing towards the door. Emerald bit her lower lip, not meeting her friend's eyes. The girl huffed and stomped her foot on the ground. "I don't belong here," Em admitted. "I really don't want to get involved with this entire thing. You don't know what I do, and... I hope you never do." Neo tilted her head. "I'm sorry. I really can't stay here. I'll be close, though, ok? I'm sure you'll find me. You're resourceful like that. Just... take care of yourself, ok?"

Neo stayed silent, as she often did, but nodded slowly. Emerald smiled gently and ruffled much to Neo's chagrin. "I'll see you around, you little psychopath." Neo gave her friend a short wave before turning her attention to the fridge. Emerald sighed as she closed the door silently behind her, and took off into the night.

Vale's night air was chilly, especially on the industrial side of town. There were less bodies to warm the surrounding area. Her jog led her through to the commercial district, and down near the bay of the western side. She slowed down her pace as she walked the streets, enjoying the sudden feeling of freedom she felt. The young woman walked slowly to a very familiar building, one she'd been visiting for the last week.

'A Taste of Vacuo' was the restaurant's name. The inside of the building was decorated just like the previous one; with sandy-colored walls, a light blue ceiling and homey, wooden décor. There were already a few waiters, waitresses, and hosts; but there was always room for one more. To the side of the hosts' stand stood Misha, dressed in a fine suit and looking large and happy as ever.

"Misha," she called out to him, getting a large smile as he caught sight of her. His arms widened and he wrapped her up in a bear hug.

"Is little friend!" he greeted her enthusiastically. "This is best thing! Is best thing!" Behind him at the stand stood a young man who looked at her with a coy smile. Misha motioned to the man. "Jeremy, little girl is back!" Jeremy rolled his eyes before offering the girl his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, nice to see you again," he chuckled. Emerald gave him a confused look. "I was the one who grabbed He- I uh, mean, Misha when you came here years ago with your little boyfriend." Emerald blushed at those words, now recognizing the once teenager's face. "So, you gonna be part of the crew?"

"I guess so," Emerald smiled as she spoke, looking to her friend once more. "That is, if you guys will have me?"

"Of course, little friend," the large man returned the smile. "You will be safe, here." Emerald kept her smile on her face, but felt her stomach drop.

"Actually," she mumbled before taking a deep breath. "I think I should warn you about something."

XXXXX

Jaune and Ren both sighed as they walked side-by-side down the hall. They'd returned from dinner late, and their teammates were already back at their dorm rooms for the evening. "You know, I really think you and I can get along," Jaune gave his fellow male a smile. "You're a pretty cool guy, and you don't seem all that full of yourself like Macht or Richard." Ren gave Jaune a brief smile before returning his eyes to the hall ahead.

"I believe we will get along as well," Ren told his new friend, returning the sentiment. "I do not believe they're full of themselves. Just confident teens who are quite strong."

"Yeah, I guess so," the blonde sighed. "I kinda wish I was a bit more like them. Cool. Strong. And did you see how Weiss looks at Macht? I wish I had someone who would look at me that way." Ren chuckled under his breath and rested his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I'm sure that in time, your wish will come true," he advised. He kept his pace steady up until the point they arrived at their rooms. the two doors were opposite of one another. "I wish you luck, Jaune."

"Yeah, you too, Ren," Jaune grinned before they both opened their doors and entered their rooms. Four seconds later found them both bolting from their rooms and slamming their doors shut behind them. Both young men were breathing heavily, and glanced towards one another. "You know," Jaune spoke between labored breaths. "It just now occurred to me that I'm sharing a room with three girls."

"The same with me," Ren laughed softly under his breath. He gave Jaune a pained smile as something scratched at the door behind the blonde. "Shall we grab dessert while our teammates change?"

"That sounds like a perfect idea," Jaune hid his grimace with a smile. His eyes widened as Weiss' sword impaled the door, missing hid head by less than an inch. "L-Let's go!"

"Reeeen!" Yang's voice roared from behind the door. "Get in here and accept your beating before I smash this door to a pulp!" The dark haired boy swallowed hard.

"I'll be right behind you," he told Jaune before the two of them took off down the hall. As if initiation hadn't been brutal enough!

XXXXX

A second chapter as an apology! I'm not sure if I'll have anything for the end of the week, but I'll try and get something posted. No promises though.

Until then

Laters!


	10. Teambuilding Arc - Getting to Know You

Teambuilding Arc – Getting To Know You

XXXXX

Ren was the first to wake. It wasn't unusual; he'd always been an early riser. The young man slowly rose from his bed, the window showing the sun just barely on the horizon of the sky. He quietly moved towards his suitcase and shuffled through his clothes. The dark haired young man picked out some clean clothing, as well as some toiletries. It was a habit of his to take both a morning and evening shower when he could. Despite being a Huntsman in training, he preferred to be freshly groomed when possible. As he moved towards the door, he saw Pyrrha waking for the day. He gave her a brief nod, getting a yawn and a bleary wave in return, before he moved out into the hall towards the communal bathrooms.

Many of the dorms, he'd discovered, had personal restrooms that would have a shower/bath combination, a toilet, as well as two sinks. He had agreed with the girls the night before that he would use the communal bathrooms that existed in each residential wing of Beacon while the girls could use the personal bathroom. It made such things immensely easier to sort out.

As soon as the door closed behind him, shrieks and screaming came from the room across from his. Jaune, just as he had the night before, fled his room and pressed his back against the door behind him. "Fuck!" he cursed, dressed in his... questionable pajamas. The blonde gave Ren a sheepish smile and laughed. "Girls, ya know?" Ren smiled in return and rolled his eyes.

The two young men heard a door down the hall open, and spotted Macht leaving his room. He held a towel and spare clothes in his arm. "Enjoying the morning air?" the butler asked, approaching the two of them. He gave Jaune a brief, firm look. "You haven't been looking towards Weiss in any indecent manner, have you?"

"N-No, not at all!" Jaune waved his hands frantically in front of him. "No indecent thoughts here, no sir!" Macht chuckled and slapped the boy on the back, making him stumble forward a step.

"I'm teasing you, Jaune," the butler rolled his eyes. "It's not like I'd rip off your cock and string you up by your nipples and testicles if you were to ever gaze upon her with lustful eyes." Jaune shivered at the overly friendly smile that Macht was giving him. "Yet, we needn't worry about that, will we?"

"N-Not at all s-sir," Jaune felt his stomach drop. The butler only nodded.

"That's a good man," he spoke firmly. "I'm off to the showers. You boys don't wait up. I'm sure your teammates wouldn't want dirty and smelly young men to deal with on our first day here." Macht walked on ahead as Jaune spared Ren a glance.

"Not full of himself, huh?" the blonde grumbled before walking in the direction that Macht had gone. Ren shrugged to himself before following suit. He liked to see the best in people, no matter how cocky they might be. He could only hope that Jaune's team would- He smiled as the blonde turned around and headed back to his room.

"Forget something?" he teased the boy.

"Shut up," the blonde sighed, having forgotten toiletries and a change of clothes. He sighed and opened the door to his room again. He could hear the shower running, and his partner and Weiss were both sitting on their beds in their sleepwear. The two wore very similar things to bed. While Weiss' bedclothing was a white nightgown that reached down to her knees, Blake's was a black, button-up gown with long sleeves and a shorter bottom that showed off her pale, very nice legs.

Jaune immediately diverted his eyes and peered over to see of she'd caught him staring. Amber eyes met blue, but she said nothing to him. Her eyes were definitely narrowed, though. She'd caught him. "Hey, uh..." he waved to the two of them. Weiss promptly ignored him, but Blake kept her eyes carefully laid on him. "I'm just, uh, getting my clothes and stuff for a shower."

Neither of them spoke a word. Blake more out of silent scrutiny and Weiss out of tiredness. She didn't seem like she was used to early mornings; at least that was what Jaune could tell. She was practically catatonic, staring at the wall with half-lidded eyes and the occasional yawn.

Jaune had moved over to his suitcase and took out the things he needed before Blake addressed him. "Do you have any other clothes besides the school uniform?" she asked. He looked at her to see that she was peering inside of his suitcase. The young man chuckled sheepishly.

"Well, ah, no. No, I don't," he told his partner. "I kinda came here on short notice, so I wasn't exactly able to pack everything I needed. I'm also kind of on a budget, so I can't really afford a lot of new clothes at all." He heard Weiss sigh on her bed.

"Please, as the leader of Team JWBN you need to set a precedent for our team," Weiss was in lecture mode, but her eyes were still a little bit glassy. A scowl was still set firmly on her face, despite being much softer than how it had been previous times. "You should know better, and should have been prepared for any possibility as soon as you applied to this..." she trailed off with a yawn, "this school."

"Not all of us can be rich and well prepared for everything like you," Blake shot back at the white haired girl. Weiss' glare doubled, though with her sleepy look, it came out more as an adorable pout.

"Excuse me?" she sounded offended. "My family's financial status has nothing to do with decent preparation and personal responsibility."

"I'm just saying that maybe you should tone it back for the less fortunate, Schnee," Blake almost seemed to hiss. Weiss' eyes widened and her entire body shook. Her hands were clenched into fists. For a moment, Jaune thought that Weiss would deck his partner right then and there, so he decided to intervene. The blonde placed himself between the two.

"Hey, guys," he tried to speak in as cheery a voice as he could muster. "We just started Beacon, had a busy day yesterday and it's early in the morning," he tried to reason. "We shouldn't be starting off arguing like this, right? C'mon, can't we all get along?"

"Don't you DARE say my name like that again," Weiss stood up, venom laced in her words. Despite her diminutive stature, even Jaune was tempted to cower as the sheer ferocity she'd spoken with. "Don't you ever, EVER speak my name like that." Weiss was visibly shaking, and tears were brimming at the edges of her eyes.

"G-Guys," Jaune felt himself slowly losing control of the situation. He moved to rest a hand on Weiss' shoulder, hoping to comfort her a little. "Now Weiss, I don't think Blake meant to hurt you or anything," he gave her a smile. Her crystal eyes stared at him, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile. It felt weak, though. "So let's all calm down and-"

"I'll say whatever I feel like, Schnee," Blake growled. Jaune cursed under his breath. "Just because you're used to being spoiled doesn't mean you should expect others to have lived the same way." His partner was standing as well, and the two were practically glaring through him.

"Dammit Blake," Jaune cursed again. "Guys, can we all calm down and settle this like civilized-"

"Y-You... You...!" Weiss was openly tearing up, and seemed to be doing her best to hide it. It was failing horrendously, though. "You imbicile! You utter, insufferable... b-bitch!"

"Weiss-"

"Shut up!" the girl dressed in white took off through the dorm's door, still holding back her tears as best as she could. Jaune's fists clenched as he tried to contain his own frustration. The door slammed shut behind Weiss, and Jaune turned to his partner who was now sitting down back on her bed.

"Did you really have to do that?" Jaune asked Blake, trying not to blow up at her. For a first day, this was starting off horribly!

"What? I didn't do anything," the black haired girl replied coldly, having since picked up a book. Her eyes were intensely focused on the pages in front of her, but even he could tell that she wasn't actually reading. "If she wanted to be offended, then that's her problem." Jaune let out a heavy breath and followed it by breathing in slowly. He counted softly in his own head up to ten.

He barely noticed the bathroom door open, and a damp, towel-clad Nora skipped into the room. "Weiss-y!" she exclaimed, looking for her partner. "Weiss? Hey Jaune-y, where's Weiss-y?" Jaune decided to bite his tongue just a bit. It was still their first day, and stress was still high from the day before. Surely Blake would get better, right?

"She, uh, ran out after some... bad memories were accidentally brought up," he excused, trying to think of a believable story. "Could you go find her, Nora? Uh, preferably dressed?" Nora, gods bless her, quickly gave him a mock salute and grinned.

"Roger that, fearless leader!" the ginger dropped her towel. Jaune's eyes widened and he quickly averted his gaze, his heart racing. He both thanked and cursed whatever gods might be out there for the view.

Perky and pink.

Jaune quickly shook those thoughts from his head and shivered. He'd hate to think what Ren would do if the quiet man discovered he'd seen so much of his childhood friend. "I'll be back!" Nora told them, before he heard the door open and shut as she left. Jaune's heart hadn't stopped racing, and he noticed Blake frowning towards him.

"You can't possibly blame me for that," he defended himself. The girl only scoffed and rolled her eyes, but she closed her book and shifted out of her bed. Her silence was deafening for the moment before she spoke.

"It's my turn to shower," she told him. "Don't peek on me or I'll kill you." The bathroom door closed behind her. Jaune swallowed hard at the threat, and he whimpered. Why couldn't he just have normal teammates and hallmates? At this rate, he was going to die before the week ended!

The blonde groaned, quietly lamenting his position as he once more grabbed the items he had from his suitcase. He left his room, only to come face to face with a familiar brunette. "Hey Jaune," Ruby spoke with a tired smile. "How's it going?"

"I think I'm gonna die," he told her, letting out a sigh. "Blake antagonized Weiss today and is giving me the cold shoulder. Weiss is bossy, but I'm sure she means well. Nora is... well, she's the only one besides me that I think wants this team to work."

"But it's only been one day," the girl cocked an eyebrow at him. "Maybe it's just... first day stress or something?"

"That's what I thought," Jaune told her. "How about your team? Any problems?" Ruby's face matched her name at the question. "That bad, huh?"

"Actually, it's been... pretty good, actually," she told him. He didn't have the heart to point out she'd said 'actually' twice. "Ren is really nice, even if he doesn't say much. Yang is, well, Yang. Even Pyrrha's been really nice! Did you know she was a championship fighter!?" A massive smile spread across Ruby's face. "That's, like, so cool! I mean, guuuuuh, whatcha... kpwooooaaaaah! Hiyaaaa...! Ya know!?" Her expression was so innocent that Jaune couldn't possibly say anything to ruin it.

"Yeah, I think I do," the blonde chuckled, ruffling her hair. The girl groaned and swatted his hand away, making him laugh a bit more. Suddenly, he felt a little more relaxed. "Thanks Ruby, I needed that."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing," he covered himself. "I uh, need to go and get a shower. It was nice talking to you. You're pretty wise for your age, you know?" Ruby in turn puffed her chest out and rested her hands on her hips.

"Yup, totally wise!" she gloated. "Wise Ruby Rose, that's what they call me! Wisest girl in all of Beacon! Yeah..." Jaune rolled his eyes and gave her a short wave before walking down the hall. He wanted a hot shower and wasn't sure how many stalls would be taken by the time he got there. "Seeya Jaune!"

XXXXX

Red. Pink. Orange. Yellow. Violet. Those and countless other colors formed in the sky as the sun rose over the trees. Beacon was, unsurprisingly, not a very quiet school. From her first day she could tell that, especially after seeing the type of people that applied and were accepted into the school. Loud, brazen, crazy and unfiltered people from so many different walks of life inhabited the academy, which was normally something she'd have loved to explore. All of the organization and planning that went into bringing out the best potential in people... was a sham. A disgrace and waste.

She hadn't expected her first days in Beacon to be perfect. Especially once Macht had suggested she not try and be on a team with him. Yet, she had never expected THAT. The hatred in that girl's voice. It was similar- no, identical to that faunus' tone when she'd been a child. Spitting out her name like it was some sort of curse, a derogatory term used to put other's down. Normally Weiss wouldn't lose so much of her self-control over insults, but the memory of that day pushed her over the edge.

She would never get along with Blake. Not so long as the girl spoke like that to her. Even then, she would never forgive her for speaking like that in the first place. Who was SHE to judge her by her name? She didn't even know her, and she was going to throw her name around like some kind of insult? No, Weiss would never accept that. If it was a war that Blake wanted, it was a war that she'd get.

"Weiss-y!" the Schnee winced at her partner's obnoxiously loud voice. A deep breath followed, then release of said breath. "Aha! There you are. Why'd you run off like that, partner?" So she knew. Jaune must have told her, that nosey dolt.

"Please, Nora," Weiss tried to keep herself calm. She'd only just gotten the tears to stop, but she wasn't sure if she could hold her façade if she were pressed further. "I'd like to be alone for a little while. Would you please leave and-"

"No can do, partner," Nora must have flung herself at her, since she felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and very generous mounds press against her back. The heiress' eye twitched briefly with jealousy. No, Schnee did not get jealous. Schnee had no cause for jealousy. "Jaune-Jaune asked me to come help you, so here I am!"

"How did you find me?" the heiress managed to ask, a bit surprised at how quickly the ginger had discovered her location. "I was sure that this was a private and secluded place out of the way of the main school building."

"Easy! I just thought about where I'd go if I was an emotionally damaged princess!" Nora's response was not the kind that Weiss was looking for, but it did give the girl a clear view of what happened in the ginger's head. "And I, the queen, have come to make sure that our favorite princess is happy and ready for the ball!"

"Ball? What ball?" her words were beginning to confuse Weiss.

"Oh, silly," Nora was still grinning. "It's just an expression. Besides, you cant be little miss grumpy-skirt out here all day. We have classes, remember? You don't want to disappoint our teachers~"

"Ah, well, no," Weiss affirmed. "I suppose I should go back and... ready myself for the day." Her fists clenched at the though. "After all, it's not appropriate for a Schnee to be in public in only their sleepwear."

"That's the spirit!" Nora cheered, releasing the girl from her embrace. "Wow, and here I thought I'd have to drag you back kicking and screaming." Weiss sent her partner a short glare, but sighed instead. At least her partner meant for the best. She supposed that was all that mattered for the moment. "You know, Jaune-y was worried about you, too."

"Was he?" Weiss immediately questioned. "Then why isn't he here as well?" Blake was his partner, after all. He was probably more concerned about her then he was of Weiss.

"Because he had to take a shower, silly!" Nora smashed her assumption. "He was all stinky and already had his clothes out, and I heard him leave right after me." Weiss decided to note that her partner could be incredibly observant when she wanted to be. Still, Jaune hadn't stuck around to reassure his partner? That was oddly comforting. At least he didn't seem to be very biased. That was not a bad trait in leaders. Perhaps the boy had more to him then she gave him credit for. Now, if only Blake could be dealt with.

The walk back to their hall was relatively quiet; if Nora's near constant humming could be described as such. It was a bit less annoying then it had been before. Thankfully, the day was still young enough to have students still sleeping in from the day before. Many were still exhausted from the team placement ceremony as well as initiation in general. Weiss knew that she'd prefer to be in bed at that time of day, but Jaune had had the bright idea of tripping out of his bed and landing on her face-first at the beginning of the morning.

She could probably forgive him for that. They had all been tired, after all. She knew that Macht would be disappointed in her if she were to scold her team leader for something so trivial. Weiss swallowed. That term was bitter in her mouth. Team leader. Something that she was not. It seemed like a foregone conclusion, that she would be chosen as the leader of her team. She was a Schnee, after all. Born and raised to lead others. It was just as unusual for that Ruby girl to be the leader of her team instead of Pyrrha, Ren, or even the sister, Yang.

She would have to discuss it with her butler if time allowed. The thought was so foreign that she couldn't understand exactly why she hadn't been picked. While Jaune had acted admirably on the battlefield, it was nothing that she wouldn't have been able to handle.

Right?

Part of her doubted it, and she quickly squashed away that doubt. She would have eventually figured out that they were ill suited for their opponents. It would only have been a matter of time. The thought even sounded ridiculous in her mind.

Ok, perhaps there was more to Jaune than met the eye. She would simply have to ensure that he aspired to his full potential. As a Schnee, it was only her responsibility to ensure that her team leader was up to standard. No, beyond the standard. He had to be above and beyond the rest of the team leaders, even Macht's.

Not that it would be all that difficult. Macht's team leader, the faunus, was nothing short of silly and immature. Sure, he had a very unique weapon and she'd even met him once or twice during dinner parties, but Richard was a fool with little individual skill or merit. The Bright family as a whole was surprisingly mediocre despite their large amounts of wealth and influence. As her father stated, "Lazy dogs coasting on the merits of their ancestors". It was one thing that Weiss agreed with her father on. At the very least, Richard appeared to be a hard worker; not that it amounted to much.

The Schnee paused as she and Nora both found themselves at their door. Nora waited patiently for her to open it. She would have to thank the ginger sometime in the future. At the very least for being understanding enough to give her time and- "Boop!"

Weiss crashed through her dorm's door, having been shoved inside by her treacherous partner. She quickly looked up, only just noticing that Blake was nowhere in sight. There was a small note left on her bed, though. "Nora," Weiss sighed. "That was incredibly rude." Her partner only gave her a cheery grin. Weiss moved towards her bed to look at the note. Given the messy handwriting and diplomatic wording, it was most likely from Jaune. "It seems out team is at the cafeteria for breakfast," she spoke aloud after reading.

"Oh, do you think they have pancakes?" Weiss could hear the grin on Nora's face.

"Yes, I'm sure-" The door was forcefully opened and slammed shut before the heiress could finish her sentence. She sighed. "Ren, however you deal with her must be a secret art." Weiss quietly sorted through her clothing before moving to the dorm's bathroom. She was sure that today would end up being a disaster.

XXXXX

Ruby was certain that today couldn't possibly get any better! After having an awesome team breakfast, plus Jaune, she was finally going to be in her first lesson at Beacon academy! There was definitely no way that this could go wrong or have any ill effects on her mental state!

"Monsters! Demons. Prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names," the professor at the front of the class began. This was so exciting! "But me? Hah-hah! I call them prey!" Ruby's enthusiasm slowly died, however, as the man went on. They were supposed to be learning about killing Grimm, right? So why was he telling stories like her uncle!? "-however, it was there that I came across the true enemy of all Huntsmen. The barmaid!"

Ruby whimpered softly into her arms, and smiled appreciatively when Ren gently patted her back. He was such a good friend. Her eyes wandered towards her other friends; or at least, she hoped they were her friends. She first glanced to the rest of her team, namely her sister and Pyrrha. While Yang was busy sleeping, the jerk, Pyrrha seemed to be dutifully writing down... something. Ruby wasn't exactly sure just what the championship fighter could be writing. She nudged her partner.

"Hey," she whispered, getting his attention. She noticed that his notebook was filled with notes as well. "What are you and Pyrrha writing down?" Ren had the decency to flush at her words before he showed her what was in his book. There was nothing written down about what the large man, Professor Port, was talking about. There were, however, notes about some sort of recipe. All of the numbers and different ingredients were making her head spin. "Uh, and Pyrrha?"

Ren gently nudged the girl sitting next to him, and she gave him a curious look. She could hear him gently whisper to the redhead, and she showed them both her notebook. She was doodling? Ruby couldn't help but grin, and Pyrrha blushed a little from having been caught. The younger girl stifled her own laughter as she looked to the other students around her. Macht was also writing something down in his notebook, but like Ren, wasn't paying any attention to what Professor Port was saying.

Paige was blatantly reading and not paying any attention, and both Krill and Richard were sleeping on their desks. Ruby grimaced, noticing a small puddle of drool coming from the faunus' mouth. Her attention turned to Jaune's team. Nora was definitely asleep. It was a wonder why Professor Port hadn't called her out on it. Her legs were on the desk and her head was bent back over her chair. Blake was reading a book of her own, and Jaune was quietly snickering. She could see doodles in his own notebook. Weiss, though? Weiss looked really angry. Her glare was set on the rest of her team.

"All in all," Port continued. "A true Hunter must be honorable!" Ruby could see Weiss' fists clench. "A true Hunter must be dependable!" She could almost hear the girl's teeth gritting. "A true Hunter must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

"Ohhh, boy," Ruby muttered to herself, knowing the look on the girl's face. She could see it from across the classroom.

"Now, who among you believe yourselves to encompass these traits?" Port challenged his students. Weiss' hand instantly shot up. However, hers was not the only one. Blake's hand was raised as well. The two of them were glaring at one another.

"I do, sir," they both spoke at once. Once more, Blake and Weiss glared at one another.

"Oh-ho!" Port's voice was definitely over-enthusiastic. "Very well then. Both of you, come down, and-" Professor Port had grabbed the weapon that hung on a mantle on his wall. It looked to be an axe, and the end of the handle opened up into that of a gun. He drew attention to a cage sitting in the corner of the room, covered by a tarp. It shook and snarled. "-face your opponent!"

XXXXX

This was definitely a very bad idea. Of that, Jaune was absolutely sure. Both Weiss and Blake had been gone for a few moments to grab their weapons from their lockers. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on between the two of them, but he knew that screwing up here could get them killed. As soon as they came back, he decided to cheer for them. "Yeah, go Weiss and Blake!" he plastered on a grin onto his face. "You both got this!" They both gave him an appreciative nod before noticing the other had as well, going back to glaring at one another just as quickly.

Weiss drew her weapon and Blake did the same with her own. "Very good, students!" Port encouraged the two. "Now, prepare to fight!" He brought his axe down on the lock of the cage. The creature inside burst out of the cage in a spiral of death, aiming towards Blake. Weiss quickly weaved to the side, leaving his partner to fend for herself. Blake was struck; or rather, a clone of her was as his partner flew through the air, landing in front of the cage that the Grimm had come from.

"That's a Boarbatusk," Macht spoke up from behind Jaune, getting his attention. "I'm surprised. The professors of Beacon must be truly skilled to be able to hold a live monster for who knows how long."

"Did you ever really doubt them, dude?" Richard was grinning ear to ear, leaning over his desk to watch the fight. "This is great! Yeah, you go girls!"

"Kick its butt, guys!" Ruby cheered from across the room.

"Be quiet!" Weiss hissed in return, narrowly avoiding another charge from the Grimm. "Ugh, you're distracting me!"

"Maybe you shouldn't be so distracted by people who aren't as important," Blake snarled in response. "Focus on the fight, why don't you?"

"Don't you dare lecture me, Belladonna," Weiss returned the sour tone. "I don't- ah!" Weiss held out her blade to parry the Boarbatusk's charge, knocking it aside towards her teammate. "Look out!"

"I don't need your help," Blake sidestepped the deflected monster, still glaring at the other student. "Or your pity." Weiss' concerned expression once more devolved into a sneer.

"I was only trying to warn you!" Nora's partner shot back. "You could have been hurt!"

"You really have your work cut out for you," Krill spoke up from beside Jaune. The blonde sighed, letting his head fall in between the pages of his open notebook.

"Yeah, and I don't know what to do to stop it at all," he lamented. "It's been like this all day. What do I do?"

"I can speak with Weiss if you'd like," Macht offered to Jaune. "She and I get along quite well, and I know she'd listen to what I have to say."

"I can take Blake aside," Paige added. "She and I seem like-minded." Jaune shook his head in response to both of their answers, however.

"I really can't accept your help with this," he told them, watching on with worry as his two teammates' feud progressively caused them to make ridiculous mistakes. Eventually one of them would get hit and have to be treated at the infirmary; or worse, killed. "As their leader I have to figure out how to fix this by myself."

"Hey, just because you're the leader doesn't mean you have to fix everything alone," Richard chuckled. The wolf faunus laid a hand on his fellow leader's shoulder. "I mean, I'm a total screw-up and don't know the first thing about leading, but Macht, Paige, and Krill have all been really cool about helping me understand what they need." The three of them nodded in response to Richard's words.

"Weiss is extremely proud, and raises that pride upon a pedestal above all else," Macht offered. "You'll almost never convince her to apologize for any reason. Not unless you can somehow convince her that she's wrong." The butler's eyes narrowed. "As far as I can see, though, she appears to be in the right. Your partner has been antagonizing her throughout the duration of the fight."

"It's not like Weiss is completely without blame," Paige argued. "She's being a bitch to Blake as well."

"She's been trying to offer her help," Macht countered, a frown on his face.

"It's obvious that Blake doesn't need her help," the bespectacled girl insisted. "Weiss should back off and allow her teammate to face the enemy at her own pace."

"Blake isn't the one being singled out, here," frustration was beginning to form on the butler's face.

"Both of you shut your traps," Richard interjected, getting a frown from Macht and a scoff from his childhood friend. "You're both being really dumb about this. Weiss and Blake are both pushing each other, so they're both to blame."

"However-"

"Shut up, Macht," Richard flicked a paper ball at his teammate. While Macht growled when it struck his nose, he did nothing else. Richard turned to Jaune. "Look, teams have fights sometimes. It's just part of being a team, I guess. As leader, I guess you gotta buckle down and sit them down and tell them both that they're being idiots."

"What then?" Jaune asked. "It's not like they'll just forgive each other." He winced as Blake was shoved into the wall from a glancing blow from the Boarbatusk. "They hate each other."

"Then beat it out of them," Richard was grinning as he spoke. "I mean, that's what Paige does to me when I'm being stupid. It's gotta work for them too, right?"

"I'm not sure that's what he needs to do," Paige spoke slowly. Jaune, though, smashed his fist against his palm.

"That's it!" he exclaimed at a low tone. "Thanks Richard, you really helped me." The faunus chuckled and shrugged, glad he'd helped his friend out. Jaune once more focused fully on the fight at the front of the room. Only then he realized that Weiss had been knocked to the side and was too dazed to do anything, and Blake was standing exhausted before a charging Grimm. "Blake, get out of the way!"

His eyes went wide as a black and white body slammed back into the wall. It wasn't a clone, either. "Blake!"

XXXXX

Boom! Cliffhanger. Ah, it's been forever since I've written a good cliffhanger, and I hope this one will be worth waiting to see what happens next. Weiss and Blake are definitely at each other's throats, with Jaune stuck right in the middle. Weiss has PTSD from Adam spitting out her name like a curse word, and Blake, being paranoid and definitely afraid of both Weiss and Macht, is lashing out in presumably self-defense. The "attack them before they can attack first" mentality. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

As always, leave a review if you liked it or saw any room for improvement.

Laters!


	11. Holiday Special: The Vytal Festival

The Vytal Festival

 **XXXXX**

The Vytal Festival. An event whose magnitude spanned the entirety of Remnant, and often brought in huge amounts of revenue for the Kingdom that hosted it that year. More specifically, it was the 37th biennial Vytal Festival, which was being hosted by Vacuo this year. Young Jaune Arc had never seen an event so large. His days in Ansel often saw small festivities every year, from small fairs to community celebrations. This, however, had to have been at least one hundred times the size of the events back home.

As an aspiring Huntsman, Jaune had been brought by Dell Conagher, the weapsonsmith down the road from him, in secret as a gift and a showing of what Hunters were like. While it wasn't a perfect showing, the eleven year old knew it would be the closest he could get to a safe showing of Hunters' work. Dell knew the same. The older man chuckled as he absorbed the excited Arc's expression. He'd told the boy's parents that they were going out to a weapons convention that showed off new technology. Was he a bad influence? He sure as hell was. However, the older man hadn't gotten to where he was without breaking a few rules. Or a few laws.

The event was held just outside the city of Vacuo, and the Amity Colosseum offered a sky view of the festival grounds, Shad Academy, as well as Vacuo itself. Surrounding all three was an endless expanse of desert. Festival-goers all carried ice-Dust filled mini-fans to keep cool; provided exclusively by the Schnee Dust Company. Bottles of water were also handed out at strategic intervals, offered for free to keep everyone happy and hydrated.

"Best grab y'self another fill of water, boy," Dell told his protégé, chuckling as he held up his highly modified mini-fan. It was filled with both wind and ice Dust, allowing him to keep himself extra cool. "You're startin' to sweat like a pig. The day's gonna be extra hot 's what the weatherfolk said."

"R-Right," Jaune replied, taking off to a nearby vendor. The two of them were currently in the colosseum, walking around the edge. It was early in the day, but already warming up quickly. The fights wouldn't begin for another hour, either. Even though Amity Colosseum was heavily air conditioned, sometimes it just wasn't enough. The canyons below that made up the city of Vacuo and its surrounding areas was perfect for keeping cool, but flying high above the desert? The structure wasn't offered the same protections.

Jaune quickly found his way back to Dell's side, and he took a moment to appreciate the view. Barriers protected the colosseum from most outside forces, but the wind was strong enough to seep through. What normally would be unobstructed, powerful desert winds was a comfortable breeze behind the barriers. Sapphire eyes gazed over the dunes in the distance. From where he was looking, they seemed to be an endless expanse of sand. He could see a small sandstorm form, twist for a little bit, then fall, all in the matter of a minute.

"Attention, the first round of the Vytal Festival will begin in fifteen minutes," an announcement came over the PA. It was a smooth and alluring, feminine voice that made the announcement. "Once again, the first round of the Vytal Festival will begin in fifteen minutes."

"We'd best get to our seats, son," Dell patted the back of his protégé, chuckling. "If ya have any questions, don't be afraid ta ask. This is a learnin' experience, boy."

"Right," Jaune and Dell both moved towards the hallway that led to the interior of the stadium. They had luckily gotten fantastic tickets so they could actually sit INSIDE Amity Colosseum. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people.

While Dell and Jaune found their seats, a young girl and her butler sat in their VIP booth of the stadium. Her father was surprisingly absent, thought her mother was playing nice with several dignitaries and important figures in another booth. This one was held separately than the others, intended for the friends and family of said important dignitaries to keep them out of sight and mind while business was done. Unfortunately, that meant that while Macht was sat to her right, some stranger was sitting to her left. He was not making the best of impressions.

"My father is very confident in our two companies becoming business allies," the boy, Arthur Reed, reiterated. Weiss did her best to pretend to be interested, but he was beginning to irritate her. "If that happens, then a partnership between you and I would only be natural. Don't you think so?"

"I'm sure that you and I could make many improvements to our companies if we were to work with one another," Weiss kept her response ad diplomatic as she could. "That being said, I intend to run the SDC differently than my father." She saw her butler roll his eyes at her irritation, obviously taking pleasure in her discomfort. The bastard. "Of course, my butler believes himself suitable for assisting me in any ventures I might pursue." The implication was obvious. Macht's smirk disappeared, instead finding its way to Weiss' face.

"Is that so?" the dusty haired boy questioned, giving the butler a narrow-eyed look. "What does this riff-raff think he can do to better the SDC and support you the way you need to be?" Weiss ignored the jab at herself, and knew that Macht could take care of his own honor. There was silence for a moment. "I was talking to you, butler."

"Were you?" Macht sounded absolutely mortified that he might have ignored such an important person. "My apologies. I had assumed that your referral to me was rhetoric. How can I be of assistance, young man?" Not young sir. Nobody but Weiss or possibly Winter deserved that kind of respect from him. Or Klein. Klein was a pretty neat guy as well, though a bit unpredictable.

"I asked you how you think you could possibly improve the business practices of the SDC," Arthur obviously hadn't, but as a kid he was already losing his temper. Patience was obviously not his strong area.

"I intend to assist miss Schnee in whatever endeavor she sees fit for herself, no matter the goal," Macht explained simply, as if the response had been practiced.

"Macht has studied Remnant politics as well as basic business practices," Weiss continued for her servant. "He has a large knowledge in shipping routes, economy, as well as long-term effects in politics and negotiation. My mother has applauded him for thinking outside of the norm on many an occasion." Most of those had been during spars, after being crushed into the dust after using said 'outside the norm' tactics.

"I'm sure he has," the boy replied, a frown visible on his face. Macht offered the boy a gentle smile, though the act seemed to frustrate Arthur even more.

The fights continued on, and Weiss watched with rapt attention. She gasped when teams from Atlas were struck down, and would clap politely when the same teams would win. Macht would also notice her hands clench into fists whenever a Faunus was on the field. Her eyes would observe them like a hawk, only calming once the round was over. No foul play ever came onto the field for the duration of the rounds.

At three in the afternoon, an intermission was called to clear and clean the field for the next bracket of fights for the day. "Macht, would you escort me outside for some fresh air?" Weiss spoke in a tired voice, somewhat mentall exhausted from watching all of the fights beforehand. The butler smiled and nodded.

"I would be honored, miss Schnee," the black haired boy kept a polite air about him, ignoring the glare Arthur was giving him from behind. the two of them left the VIP box to the upper, outer walkway of the stadium. Several men and women walked through the halls, taking the intermission as time to stretch their legs. Weiss stiffened as a familiar voice called out to them.

"Weiss," her mother appeared from around the corner. She wore a pinstriped business suit, and her long, white hair was tied in a clean ponytail behind her, reaching the small of her back. The woman regarded the two children with a firm expression. "Macht. I take it you both have been well outside of my presence?" She was asking if they'd kept out of trouble.

"One of the other young men had requested my attention," Weiss responded. "Macht assisted me in the matter, though. Thank you for asking, mother." Yuki's eyes narrowed as she looked at the butler, but once more her gaze turned to her daughter.

"I see. Thank you, Macht," the Schnee matriarch seemed to nod slowly. "When we return I will allow you a weekend of reprieve from training." The young man visibly relaxed, but unconsciously rubbed a small scar on his hip. "However, I expect you to not hold back the next time I bring you in for lessons."

"Yes, ma'am," Macht bowed towards her, grimacing. He could already feel the bruises and cuts forming. "I... look forward to your generous teachings." Yuki smirked.

"As you should," the woman replied. "That is all. I will see you both returned after the celebratory opening tonight at the hotel room. Am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Yes, mother."

Yuki seemed satisfied with the answers and turned on her heel. Her back was straight and she stood tall as she walked off. The sea of people in the halls all made way for her. Both Weiss and her butler were silent for a few moments.

"Shall we acquire some food to eat?" the young man asked her, giving her a smile. Weiss nodded, a bit shaken with the encounter with her mother. Her father was scary on his own, but... The girl shivered as she and her butler walked down the halls. Even Klein and Winter obeyed her mother without hesitation. The only one who challenger her was her father, and that was only because he could with few repercussions.

The two children walked downstairs to the food vendors. Their VIP box didn't have table service like most of the larger ones. They weren't important enough to be catered to. Weiss' mind briefly wandered as they walked down the stairs to the main level of the colosseum. Her eyes fixated themselves on the back of Macht's head, who was clearing the way for the both of them.

It had been several years since they'd met, and he'd been obedient and fun to be around ever since he'd become her personal butler. She enjoyed spending time with him, and while he often enabled her, he was quick to scold her if she caused trouble, as well. He also took her beatings for her. Her eyes wandered to the back of his right hand, covered by a clean, white glove. It had long since healed, but during their first week together her mother had decided to punish Weiss for crying in public after being kidnapped.

She had been brought in to spar. Macht had not been alerted. Her mother had thrashed Weiss, and had continued even after her own Aura had been knocked out. It was at that moment Macht had stepped in front of her when her mother had sent shards of ice flying towards her. It had been that moment that they discovered Macht didn't have Aura.

Weiss blinked as her butler pulled her to the side out of the way of a large man giving his daughter a piggy-back ride. "Sorry about that, sir," Macht apologized on her behalf. "Miss Schnee, you must be a bit more aware of your surroundings."

"Is no problem," the large man waved his bear-sized hand, giving the two of them a wide smile. "I am sorry, for accident. I am not little man like I used to, eh?" The girl sitting on his shoulders laughed at his words, but gave the two of them cautious looks. "Have nice day, da?"

"Of course," Weiss replied. "I am sorry, thank you for being so understanding." The man grinned, but said nothing as he walked away. Macht rolled his eyes and discreetly nudge his charge.

"Oh, into older men now, are we?" he mumbled low enough so only she could hear him. Weiss scowled, and jabbed him in return.

"Please, like I could ever get rid of a troublemaker such as yourself," the heiress replied, rolling her eyes at the implication. "You will be paying for the food you... you simpleton." Her butler only laughed, making her cheeks flush.

"Of course, princess." Weiss silently fumed at the nickname and did her best to ignore it as they moved towards one of the vendors. "Hello," Macht greeted the young man at the counter, a bored looking teen who didn't seem to have much business. Most other patrons had either gone to the fairgrounds, were walking around, or were headed back to the city below. It was becoming incredibly warm, after all. Weiss was beginning to sweat, despite her short sleeves and short dress. "Two hotdogs, one with ketchup only and the other with mustard and ketchup. Two bottles of water as well."

Weiss gave her butler a frown, but waited patiently as their food was made. "I'm not so sure about this food," she spoke after a moment. "The last time I tried asking for something like this..."

"Is your father here?"

"W-Well, no..."

"Your sister?"

"No."

"Perhaps Klein?"

"No," Weiss sighed. There was no arguing with her insufferable butler. His smile infuriated her, though.

"Then you'll live," were his words. Weiss rolled her eyes before sighing. "Normal children eat things like this. Also, since you've been avoiding eating the local plant-life since we arrived, I figured you might as well try something decidedly unhealthy."

"Shouldn't you be pushing me to eat those... vegetables you enjoy so much?" the heiress asked. Macht chuckled.

"Who ever said I enjoy them? I just know they're good for a balanced and healthy meal," he replied smoothly as their food arrived. Weiss only turned her nose up at the response, but took her hotdog and water bottle with very Weiss-like grace. That was to say, with attitude. Still, he wouldn't fault her for it. It was how she coped with her family.

The two of them made their way back upstairs to their booth, vaguely listening to the announcement that the fights would resume soon, as well as the fireworks that would launch after the last round for the day to commemorate the first day of the festival. The fights passed quickly, at least quickly enough to Weiss' sleepy mind. While fights during the festival were exciting, there was only so much she could handle without getting bored. Instead, she and Macht began taking bets on who would win, and how.

Night had fallen by the time the fights ended, and everything was being prepared for fireworks. As the time came closer, the lights began to dim both in the stadium, and the VIP booths. Weiss felt her hand brush against her butler's as the first streaks of light ascended into the sky, exploding into a colorful display of beauty and power. Her hand gripped his.

Not a word was spoken between the two throughout the showing, and none were spoken after. Her hand, though, never left his until they arrived at the hotel room down below in Vacuo. Even in the cold desert night, his hand remained warm.

 **XXXXX**

 **Yes, it's a bit rushed and I know I could have done better. I will in the future, I promise. The 4th of July just really dug into my writing schedule and I got into a car accident this week on Tuesday (thank god nobody was hurt), but all the paperwork, normal work, as well as a holiday to boot has pretty much frazzled my mind. I'm hoping to make it up in next week's chapter (already in the process of being written) but it's definitely not giving me any easy way to come at it. Anyways, I'll see what I can do!**

 **Laters!**


	12. Teambuilding Arc - Mend the Wound

**Teambuilding Arc – Mend The Wound**

 **XXXXX**

"Blake!"

His eyes went wide as a black and white body slammed back into the wall. It wasn't a clone, either.

The Boarbatusk slammed into the structure behind the students, Professor Port having swung his weapon like a golfclub to do so. The creature had to have sustained immense internal damage, and was even split open from the professor's axe. Even then, it was slowly dissolving. Jaune breathed a sigh in relief, but his fists hadn't yet unclenched themselves. Two of his teammates looked incredibly injured. "It seems that our two colleagues here might have overestimated themselves just a bit," while Port tried to keep the jovial tone in his voice, the blonde team leader could hear his underlying disappointment.

Jaune was disappointed as well; but more at himself than anyone else. He should have kept them from fighting. He knew that they were having some sort of argument, and that they wouldn't be able to focus on the fight. Either that, or at least made the two come to a truce before classes had begun. "While it is not uncommon for Hunters to have their own personal pride," Port emphasized the last two words, "it would be best to leave any issues you may have with one another off of the battlefield. Lives have been lost over less."

Jaune could tell that the mood in the classroom had dampened; and looking around he could see a lot of disappointed frowns. Macht even was shaking his head with shut eyes. "I need to fix this now," the blonde mumbled to himself. He, along with the other students, stood and packed up as the bell rang for class to end. Thankfully it was the end of the school day for his team, with their earlier classes having consisted of Professor Peach and Professor Carp in Environmental Studies and Dust Studies.

"Be sure to complete your homework that's due on Wednesday," he heard Port shout over the bustling class. Jaune wasn't sure he'd assigned any homework, but he could ask Nora about it later. Speaking of Nora... she was sleeping, still. The boy grunted and shook her.

"Nora, wake up," he sighed. It took a few moments but she finally did snort awake.

"Pancakes!" she exclaimed before falling off of her chair. "Owch!" The girl groaned, looking around. "What did I miss?" Her leader could only sigh. He moved towards his wayward teammates as Nora packed her things. Weiss was trying her hardest to stand, but a few scuffs showed that she'd run out of Aura during the fight. Blake was also wobbling as she stood, but on her part seemed more shocked than injured.

"Both of you are coming with me," Jaune instructed them. His expression gave no room for argument, and he kept his tone as firm and harsh as he could. He couldn't afford his actions to be questioned right now. Not when this argument was going to cause injuries.

"I'm not going anywhere with her," Blake hissed the last word, and Jaune shot her a glare. To her credit, she barely flinched at it. Then again, Jaune had never been the most commanding of people and was playing this all by ear.

"You'll be coming whether you like it or not," the blonde told her. He could hear Yang snort as she passed by them, and he gave her a glare of equal measure. This wasn't the time to be usurping him! Thankfully Ruby's older sister got the hint and quickly left the room with her partner. Jaune then turned to Weiss. "I hope I won't have to drag you kicking and screaming as well?" The Schnee gave him a wary look and briefly peered over his shoulder. He could tell that Macht was probably giving her some sort of encouragement.

"I will follow your lead," she finally spoke, letting out a sigh. Blake's eyes narrowed. Weiss wouldn't meet her teammates' eyes.

"Come with me," he told the two as Nora skipped up beside him. "Nora, if either of them try to run, then you can carry them along." The ginger seemed to get the hint.

"Oh, can I break their legs!?" Suddenly, her weapon was in her hands, raised in the air and ready to strike. Flashes of fear passed through Weiss' and Blake's eyes. They were probably remembering how Nora had slammed the Nevermore from the day before into the ground with only a single swing.

"Break as many legs as you need," Jaune encouraged her. Her bright smile seemed to become sinister at those words, and Jaune mentally noted to never get on Nora's bad side. That is, if she had one. He then turned back to his two wayward teammates. "But it won't have to come to that, will it?"

"No sir."

"I'll be good."

"Great!" Jaune smiled widely, grabbing them both by their shoulders. "Us four are going to do some team bonding. After all, we're new here at Beacon and all stressed out from yesterday's initiation. I'm sure blowing off some steam is exactly what Nora and I need."

"Don't you mean 'what we need'?" Weiss asked cautiously. Jaune's grin expanded, something he'd learned from his mother.

"No. No, I don't," he spoke with an easygoing tone. For a moment, he thought he could hear his partner whimper.

Macht watched as Jaune finally grew a pair and dragged his team out. While he could empathize with Weiss' caution and possibly fear, he was certain that Jaune would make the right decision when it came to them. He stood with the rest of his team in the hallway outside of Port's classroom as the last vestiges of Team JWBN turned down a corner with her hammer at the ready. He felt Richard nudge him.

"Looks like your girlfriend is gonna get it," the faunus teased him. Macht only gave the young man a hint of a smile and a roll of the eyes. "You're not gonna go over and protect her honor?"

"Weiss is perfectly capable of taking care of herself," the butler replied, chuckling under his breath. "Also, I believe this will be a good knock to her pride. Some team bonding will be good for her, I'm sure."

"You're sentencing her to torture," Krill joked, looking away as soon as Macht's gaze laid onto him. The young man shrugged.

"I prefer to call it building character."

"Yeah, let's all go build character!" Richard cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"If you were a character, you'd be the comedy relief, side-character," Paige shot at him. Her best friend immediately slumped in faux depression.

"You're so mean to me," he whined, gathering smirks from the rest of his team. Macht's gaze slowly returned to the edge of the hall that Weiss' team had disappeared behind. He prayed for her safety, but he had a feeling that Jaune would do the right thing. He seemed like the sort, after all. Richard perked up after a moment, "Hey, we should go out and celebrate our first day at Beacon!"

"That was sudden," the butler acknowledged.

"You get used to it," Paige mumbled, face already buried in her book. The four of them walked through the halls of Beacon.

"Let's head into Vale and do something," the faunus continued. "Go and party or whatever. What do people usually do here for celebrations?"

"we could go out and enjoy a meal," Macht suggested. "I'd be happy to cover it, as well."

"Can you afford it?" Krill asked, keeping his head down. Macht chuckled and shook his head.

"Despite being Weiss' personal butler, it's still a job. I'm paid to take care of her, and have quite enough to provide dinner for my new team."

 **XXXXX**

"Mercy!" the faunus begged, falling to her knees. She looked up at the woman stood tall above her, that blasted smile on her face. To the side, her partner watched on with amusement. "Please, it won't happen again!" His eyes spoke volumes of his disbelief. Racist bastard.

"You see, it's not that I don't believe you," the evil man told her. "It's just, well, I don't believe you. Nora?"

"Yes, fearless leader?"

"Another round," Jaune smiled. Nora's grin widened immensely, as Blake hung her head out of exhaustion. Was it cruel? Most definitely. Would she hate him in the end? No doubt about that. Would she and Weiss fight more? Maybe. But this would be the punishment for doing so. Jaune took another swig of his water bottle before handing it to Weiss. She raised a weary hand, her breathing more relaxed than it had been earlier. Bruises covered her body, which would heal in a matter of hours, he figured.

"She's a monster," the Schnee heiress told him. "How on Remnant can she fight for so long?" Jaune only shrugged, asking the same question in his own head. He had no intention to ever fight Nora. Four rounds with Weiss and now five against Blake, and she was still fighting on strong. It was kind of scary in a way.

"I haven't the slightest idea," the blonde sighed. "Just to make sure, you-" Crystal eyes glared at him.

"I believe I hate you more than I could ever be irritated by... Blake," Weiss had bitten back the name she wanted to call her other teammate. "My butler can be cruel, but this was evil. I'd have half a mind to make you face him." Jaune chuckled nervously in reply. "However, I'm sure he would tell me that I was a... brat, and to let it go." Her eye twitched. "I am not forgiving you for this, however."

"Jeez, you are out of shape!" Nora taunted Blake as the fight came to a close. Since they were so low on Aura, it ended up being a fight to first strike. One hit from Nora, though, was enough to cause serious injuries. Thus, her weapon had been taken away about four rounds prior.

Blake said nothing in response, only slinking over to the bleachers of the training room. She glared at her partner. "Now, we're not going to have to do this again, right?" Both Blake and Weiss shook their heads. "You two are going to get along?" A beat. "Nora..."

"I will do my best," Weiss replied first, realizing that the torture could and would continue. "So long as she does the same."

"Anything to avoid... that again," Blake agreed. At least, he counted it as agreement. Jaune nodded in approval.

"Good. Right in time for dinner, too," he told them. "Alright. So, let's go to the cafeteria and get some food." Both girls groaned, but stood up all the same. As Nora and Jaune both took the lead, Blake and Weiss walked side-by-side.

"You smother your partner tonight," Weiss grumbled, "and I won't say a thing. My lawyers can help us if we say it was his own stupidity that got him killed."

"Even if we killed him, how would we deal with Nora?" Blake asked, making the both of them shiver. Was it even possible to kill her? "Is it wrong for us to be plotting the murder of our teammates?"

"Maybe, but it would be oh-so satisfying," the heiress responded. The two of them gave each other sideways glances. "I suppose I overreacted before. I'm sure you have your reasons for... being as you were. Initiation was very stressful, after all."

"You're not nearly as bad as I thought you'd be," Blake admitted. "For a Schnee, that is." Weiss winced at the words.

"I want to help people," she told the girl. "I don't want to be compared to my father, or for what people believe my company does. My father is shrewd, but Atlas has many labor laws to protect our employees. All of them." Blake's eyes narrowed.

"What about the lower pay for faunus employees?"

"Many of them are entry-level," Weiss explained. "They're payed the same as everyone else at that level, just as they should be. The SDC makes no exceptions."

"And the ones in the-"

"The faunus who work in the mines are paid the same as the humans who work in the mines," Weiss added. She glanced over at her teammate. "As a faunus sympathizer, I want you to know that everyone is treated equally in my family's company. Data taken by polls are twisted to try and show we treat faunus less than favorably, but even if we wanted to, we couldn't legally get away with it. If we did, the SDC would never survive the amount of lawsuits and other legal problems for breaking multiple labor laws."

"I suppose you have a point," Blake grumbled. "I guess I misjudged you."

"I don't hate faunus," Weiss clenched her fists. "But the White Fang..." Blake's own fists clenched. "Forget it. I think we've earned enough punishment over opinions. In fact, I believe we're owed a little payback on our teammates for their transgressions." Blake relaxed, but only slightly. She held out her hand.

"Truce?" she asked. The heiress nodded and shook her hand.

"Truce," Weiss agreed. "Now, how to go about punishing our cruel teammates?" Blake thought for a moment before perking up a bit.

"I... think I have an idea."

"Really? What would that be?"

"Jaune has good care of that hoodie of his every day since we came to Beacon," Blake mentioned. "It would be a shame if something happened to it, don't you think?" Weiss scoffed.

"You call that reve- I mean, justful punishment?" she asked. "I think it would be much more unfortunate if something happened to that sword of his. Didn't he once say it was a family heirloom?"

"Very valuable," the hidden faunus agreed. "I'm sure we could find him a more expendable replacement."

The two of them walked into the cafeteria, just behind their teammates. The sky was dark outside, and the cafeteria itself was emptier than it had been during the dinner rush right after classes had ended. It seemed, however, that Team RYPR was also at the cafeteria eating. They were covered in grime and sweat.

"-and so my little sis totally kicked ass!" Ruby was blushing at her sister's gushing over her, Yang having been telling Jaune and Nora what they'd been doing earlier that day. "I'm actually really surprised. I thought Pyrrha and I would sweep the floor with them, but Ren and Ruby worked really well together."

"I must admit, Ren has excellent evasion tactics," the champion added, glancing at the door as Weiss and Blake entered together. "Hello there."

"General Lagune!" Nora shouted immediately after. Seven pairs of eyes gave her confused looks. "What? None of you guys watched Space Conflict 3?"

"What took you so long?" Jaune asked, ignoring Nora's groan. "You didn't get into another fight, did you?" He made to stand, but Blake sat him back down.

"Nothing of the sort," Weiss eased his concerns. "In fact, we were thinking of working on a project together. To... enforce our bonds as friends?"

"If you say so," Jaune shrugged off the comment, though Blake noticed that Ruby and Yang shared a glance. "Oof, I am not looking forward to first-week homework. Back home we never had the books for some of these topics."

"I'm sure Weiss would be very willing to help," Blake spoke up as she sat beside her partner. She gave the Schnee a sideways glance, smiling only slightly. She got the hint.

"Of course," Weiss agreed. "As the leader of this team, I won't tolerate you doing any less than your absolute best in the work provided to us. I can take some time out of my day in order to tutor you, if need be." Her expression hardened, "However, I won't tolerate if you decide to waste my time!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Sheesh, Jauney-boy is totally whipped," Yang teased her fellow blonde, making him flush. "At least Ren gets a little bit of respect from the rest of us.

"I get respect!" Jaune protested. Blake and Weiss remained silent. "Nora?"

"Weeeeeeell," she wouldn't look him in the eyes, and trailed off with a smile on her face. The leader of Team JWBN hung his head.

"Thanks for the support, guys," he sighed as the rest of the table laughed a little at his discomfort. After a few moments, the hints of a smile crossed his own lips. "I really appreciate the help, Weiss."

"No, please, the pleasure will be all mine," the Schnee insisted. She blinked, though, as her Scroll began to vibrate in her pocket. "Excuse me," she spoke up once more as she looked at the caller. "I must take this." She started to walk away as she answered the call. "Winter! It's such a pleasure to hear from you."

"Weiss," her sister replied cordially as the younger of the sisters walked out of earshot from the rest of the group. "It is indeed good to see you in pleasant health. I take it the Valean atmosphere hasn't caused you any issues?"

"Only a short cold when Macht and I arrived," Weiss replied. "Though it cleared up in a matter of days. Thank you for your concern. How are you?"

"I've been well," spoke the elder. "I will be visiting Vale soon for a task that needs completed at Beacon."

"R-Really? Will you come vi- I mean, will you have the time to come and spend some time with me?" Weiss hardly missed the amused expression her sister tried to hide. Her heart fluttered at it.

"I will make the time if it is possible," Winter replied to her. "I trust you've been taking your studies seriously?"

"Of course," the younger sister nodded quickly. "I intend to be at the top of my class in all manners of subject matter. I will also ensure that my team is second to none."

"Speaking of, were you made the leader of your team?" Weiss' expression fell a bit at her sister's inquiry.

"Well, uh," Weiss stammered.

"Weiss."

"No," she admitted, "I was placed on a team with a young man named Jaune Arc. He is..."

"Arc?" her sister's eyes widened slightly, much to Weiss' surprise. "Interesting. Most interesting."

"You know of his family?"

"The Arc family is well known among Hunter circles," Winter explained. "Mother spoke sometimes about our family being intertwined with the Arc family long in the past, though our families must have lost contact at some point. That you've met an Arc is quite impressive. Is he a fierce warrior, as their family history was known to be?"

Weiss glanced over at the laughing group of friends. Jaune was chasing Ruby, who at some point must have accidentally spilled a glass of milk against his armor. The young girl was apologizing profusely, but Jaune wasn't having any of it, attempting to capture her as she darted out of his reach.

"Of a sort," Weiss covered for him. "I look forward to your presence, sister."

"I, yours, as well," the elder Schnee replied. "I must go for the evening, but I will speak to you soon. Goodnight, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Winter." Without another word, her sister dropped the call. Weiss sighed, but couldn't hold the smile coming to her face. Before she grimaced. Her sister would want to meet her team. She hurried towards the table that they were occupying. This had to go perfectly.

 **XXXXX**

Blake watched her teammates silently as she sat on her bed, hiding it under the ruse of her reading. Jaune was busy looking over his textbooks, with Weiss standing over him, keeping an eye on his progress. Nora was laying back in her own bed, listening to something with those headphones of hers. It definitely seemed like a normal night between roommates. Yet, Blake still felt unease. Her amber eyes rested on Jaune, the one who occupied her thoughts the most during her stay at Beacon.

He was a far cry from the gentle and kind pushover he made himself out to be before initiation. "Stop slacking! You should already be three pages ahead of where you are!" Weiss snapped.

"S-Sorry!" the blonde replied, cowering at the sharp tone. "I'm just having trouble with this part!" He quickly pointed out somewhere on the page that Blake couldn't make out.

Alright, maybe he was a pushover, but he could definitely step up if he needed to, it seemed. Leading their attack against the Grimm in the forest, as well as essentially forcing a truce between her and a Schnee of all people? That took a lot of guts.

That was the only reason why she was going to give him a chance. She still thought he was a racist. In fact, she was convinced that she was. He was too utterly, completely normal to not have some sort of dark secret. It was almost like he went out of his way to seem like he was completely normal and bumbling. One moment he was stammering and chasing down a girl for spilling milk on him, and the next he was leading eleven other people on a battlefield full of aged creatures of Grimm.

Blake wasn't convinced. "Blake." He had to be hiding something. "Blake." He just had to be. "Blake!"

"Huh?" the black haired girl grunted. Jaune and Weiss were staring at her. "What?"

"I was asking if we could use your work for reference?" the blonde asked again, concern spread across his features. "Are you doing alright? You seem out of it."

"I'm fine," the hidden faunus replied. "Also... I haven't really started on the homework just yet."

"What!?" Weiss' response was immediate. She then sighed, and rested her hand against her face. "I'll be dealing with you next," the Schnee promised, before turning her attention once more to the blonde. "Excuse me, did I say you could stop reading?"

"N-No ma'am!" Jaune squeaked. Blake wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't heard it with her own ears. "B-But I really don't get this! If the faunus in the war had all these advantages, why couldn't they just sweep the floor with everyone else?"

"That's... actually not a bad question," Weiss admitted. "The main reason was that human armies were typically better armed than faunus armies, and humans over time had long since developed tactics to negate most faunus advantages. As it describes here..." Weiss' voice lacked the heat it had previously, and she was in full lecture mode.

It was surprising to see the Schnee so... human, Blake noticed. For a long time, the Schnee name had been spoken like a curse word in the White Fang. Demons of the highest caliber, with Weiss being the untouchable princess due to her bodyguard. A monster who slayed all faunus in sight. After seeing Weiss, the cat faunus wondered what Macht was like. Considering his team leader wasn't dead, perhaps he wasn't such a monster as often described?

Amber eyes slid back to her book. She would observe them, and make her own judgements. It appeared, for now, that things were relatively peaceful. People, however, rarely showed their ugly side in such public places. It was entirely possible that they were only waiting for the correct time to strike. Yes, being cautious was the wisest choice of action.

"Ooooh, I get it now," Jaune spoke up, his mind finally working out why the Battle of Vermillion Plains was a resounding success on the side of Vale's human army. "So they basically outmaneuvered the faunus and peppered them with superior artillery. Is that right?"

"That's precisely what they did," he thought he heard an iota of pride in Weiss' voice. "Now, can you tell me what exactly General Bravehardt did to turn the tides just before the battle began?"

"He taught his soldiers," Jaune answered immediately. "He trained them to work together and how to not get caught by the faunus' natural advantages. If they saw anyone flying, they were immediately focused by snipers. If anyone got close, they had traps set up to immediately blow them into the sky!"

"Very good," Weiss complimented him. "You might not be as much as an idiot as you look."

"Um... t-thanks?"

"You're welcome," her tone was so matter-of-fact that he felt as if he should feel grateful. There was silence as their leader continued to read, and Weiss watched in silence like a hawk. "That's enough," she finally spoke after realizing he'd come to the end of the chapter. "I'll quiz you tomorrow on what you've read. For now, I suppose you've earned some rest."

"Finally!" the blonde threw his hands into the air in triumph. "That was so boring!" Weiss huffed, but otherwise didn't make any other comment. Her eyes met Blake's, and they nodded.

"Why don't you go take a shower, Jaune?" the heiress suggested. "I'm sure it will provide relaxation to both your mind and body. As leader, it's your responsibility to keep yourself mentally and physically well-rested." It was bullshit, and both of the prior mentioned girls knew it, but Jaune seemed to have missed that.

"Y-Yeah," he agreed. "Do you mind if I take the bathroo? I'm sure you girls will wait until later to shower, right?"

"Go right ahead," Blake answered for them. Jaune, oblivious to their poorly hidden smirks, whistled a jaunty tune as he collected his toiletries and pajamas- ew- and made his way to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him. Weiss' and Blake's eyes both locked onto his ancestral blade, then at Nora.

"Nora," Weiss took the lead once more, waving her hand in front of the ginger.

"Yeeeeees, partner?" the girl spoke up, pulling her headphones off. Blake could hear some sort of classic rock music coming through the speakers on them.

"Blake and I were thinking of having something sweet from the cafeteria before bed. Some fruit, perhaps," the heiress lied. "Would you be willing to bring us some so we might enjoy the snack as a team? I'm afraid both Blake and myself don't know the best foods for a pre-sleep snack, but we both trust your judgement." Nora tilted her head and grinned.

"Puh-lease!" the well endowed young woman spoke through her smirk. "If you wanted to prank the fearless leader for whipping you both into line, then I won't say a thing to him about it!" Both monochrome girls flushed at the suggestion, but nodded to one another. Nora went back to setting her headphones onto her head, winking at them both.

"His sword," Blake muttered. Weiss immediately reached for the sheathe, struggling briefly as she underestimated its weight. "Is there a problem?"

"This is far heavier than it looks," Weiss grunted in an unladylike fashion. "How does he swing this weapon so easily?"

"He must be pretty strong, physically," the hidden faunus suggested, moving towards both Weiss and Blake. "So, what's the plan?"

"I believe some redecoration is in order," Weiss smiled in a sinister way. "I will use a prank my butler once pulled on my older sister when she became careless during training. How do you think our leader feels about the color orange?" Little to either of their knowledge, Nora's scroll wasn't listening to music. It was sending a video to their fearless leader. The war of pranks among Team JWBN began that night.

 **XXXXX**

She stared off into the distance, across the desolate landscape. At one point, this land had been beautiful and filled with life. Now, because of Ozpin and his accursed thievery, it was nothing more than a wasteland. That upstart dared to take her power and make it his own. She would make him pay. Then, she would collect everything that was hers from the world, with plenty of interest.

A sudden spike of power beckoned to her in the distance, and she could feel the power disappear. She hadn't needed the tailed beasts, nor their chakra for millennia. Nor was she as idiotic as her predecessor to believe that all chakra belonged to her. Still, the disappearance concerned her. "My lady," a set of footsteps approached her, smooth and suave. "You've received the report?"

"I have, Watts," the woman replied, not once turning to face him. Her underling swallowed nervously at her clipped answer.

"A-And?" he pressed. His eyes widened as a sudden feeling of fear filled his body. He knew it was irrational, but the terror still gripped at him. "M-My lady-"

"Silence," the command was simple and quiet, but held authority of the gods behind it. "If he's returned, then I will greet him personally. It would only be right, after all."

"You plan to leave your realm?" the disowned doctor inquired as the feeling of terror was dropped. He attempted to fix is disheveled clothing, and ignored the sweat coming from his body. "Is he really worth it?"

"You truly are foolish, Watts," the woman with pure white hair replied. Her two eyes reflected against the glass of the window, one eye a bright crimson with an intricate design surrounding what would have been the pupil. The other a clear, gelatin white, the veins prominent around it. "With him by my side, I will become unstoppable. Then I can finally claim that which is mine once more." there was silence as Watts bowed.

"Of course, my lady," he backed away. "I will... clear myself from your presence." The lady didn't respond as he left her presence, dimorphic eyes once more peering across the land before her. Her hand reached out, and pressed itself against the glass, and she watched in silence.

 **XXXXX**

 **Because this story is starting to encroach upon spoiler territory for Defying Fate, I'm going to focus on that story until it's finished, then I'll return to this one. It's a Naruto- based story, and I'm starting before canon so those who don't know anything about Naruto need not worry, I do my best to explain the world as I write. Anyways, I'll see you over there and hope you guys are excited to see how everything begins to play into this story!**


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